Love is Forever
by CaptainHookLover
Summary: Ariel always dreamed of becoming human, and seeing the world. When her wish finally comes true, she meets a pirate by the name of Killian Jones, who later on becomes the notorious and evil Captain Hook. Ariel is faced with many challenges along the way, facing revenge, loss, pain, and love.
1. Chapter 1: The Beginning

She woke up, on this the most special of days. It was her 18th birthday, the day the little mermaid would finally be able to realize her dream of going to the surface, to see the world.

Her whole life, Ariel had dreamed of being human. Of having legs, to feel the sand beneath her feat. To see the world and all its treasures. Today was the day she would finally make her dream come true.

She quickly went to eat her breakfast, and then went to see her father Triton.

"Morning daddy" she said. "You know what it is today right?"

Triton looked at his daughter, so young and innocent, and he knew that today would be the day that he would have to let her go. She had been planning this for quite some time, and he knew that there was no way he could talk her out of it.

"Of course I know what it is my dear" he said with a sad smile on his face. He went over to his desk where he had a necklace with a beautiful emerald jewel. He had created this necklace especially for Ariel. It had magical powers that would transform Ariel into a human as soon as she wore it.

"Here I made this for you" Triton said, handing over the necklace to Ariel. "As long as you have this on you will be human."

"Its beautiful daddy" said Ariel, as she took the necklace in her hand. It really was something.

"Well I better be off" said Ariel. "Thank you again daddy. Don't worry I won't be gone long. I love you"

She went over and gave her father a kiss and a hug. Then she swam off, ready to start this new faze of her life.

"Ariel wait" said Triton. He went over and got a beautiful blue dress that he had made for her to wear. He handed over the dress to her. "We can't have you walking around naked."

Ariel laughed as she took the dress. "Thanks daddy. Bye"

"Goodbye Ariel and be careful" said Triton, as he saw his daughter swimming away.

A few minutes later Ariel was at the surface. She couldn't believe it was finally happening. She swam to the shore, where she put on the necklace and saw her mermaid tail disappear, as her new human legs began to form.

She was so happy, she let out a small squeal. She got up and began to walk, but immediately fell down as she lost her balance. This was going to take a while.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, the Jolly Roger set down its anchor near the dock, as the crew began to get off the ship and head towards the local bar. They hadn't been on land for quite some time, and they were excited to just spend some time drinking, fooling around with women, and just having some fun.

The Captain of the ship was named Killian Jones, an incredibly handsome and charming pirate. He followed his crew into the bar, not knowing what he would find inside.

He sat at the table where his crew was, as they ordered drinks and looked around to see what they could find.

Ariel walked into the bar, excited to see what humans did in this strange new world she had never known.

People were everywhere, drunk, screaming, cussing at each other, fighting, laughing. Women all over the place, taking some of the men to strange quarters that were hidden away by some curtains. She was a bit intimidated at first, but she figured she would get herself a drink.

She sat the stool at the bar and ordered whatever the guy next to her was drinking.

Killian looked over to the bar and saw her sitting there. Her dark red hair falling over her shoulders. Her fair white skin covered in small freckles, her gorgeous blue-green eyes that reminded him of the sea. She was by far the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

He decided to go over there and introduce himself.

Ariel sat there staring at her glass of whiskey, not quite sure what to do with it. She took it in her hand, breathed in the smell, and took a sip. The taste was strong and bitter and she couldn't help but make this strange face of disapproval.

"Not a huge drinker are you love?" said Killian as he sat next to Ariel. Ariel was startled at first to see this handsome man sitting next to her. She wasn't quite sure what to say, so she smiled shyly at the man, looking into his deep blue eyes.

"Well I am not even sure what this is to be honest, but I saw someone drinking it so I thought I would give it a try" she said.

Hook laughed. "Well at least your honest. Killian Jones" he said as he extended his hand over to her.

"Ariel" she said as she stared at his hand not sure what to do with it.

"Ariel…. what a lovely name. You are not from around here are you?" said Killian.

"What makes you say that?" said Ariel.

"Well you just seem a bit odd to be honest love. You didn't know that your drink is called whiskey, and you didn't shake my hand when I introduced myself. "

"Ok well you got me. You see I am actually a mermaid. But I have always wanted to be human and explore your world, and this necklace is allowing me to do that" she said, and took the necklace in her hand and showed it to Killian.

"I see. Well that explains your beauty, because only mermaids are capable of possessing such incredible beauty, and you my dear, are by far the most beautiful mermaid I have ever seen."

Ariel blushed, her cheeks turned red, and her heart started to pound a little faster. "I bet you say that to all the mermaids you meet."

"Actually, you are the first mermaid I have ever met" said Killian. And it was true. He had seen many mermaids in his lifetime, but he had never actually met one. "So you're a mermaid, and you are here now because you want to explore the world? Find adventures?"

"Yes" said Ariel. "I have dreamed about this my whole life. I have always felt out of place in my world. And now I can finally see all that your world has to offer."

"Well my dear, today is your lucky day" said Killian. "I happen to be a pirate, and I have a ship right outside. I would be happy to bring you along."

"Really?" said Ariel, as a huge smile ran across her face. This was amazing, she had just met a pirate, and she knew that pirates sailed the seas in search of adventure. But she also knew that they were dangerous. However, Ariel was young and naive, and passing up this opportunity was not something she would do. Besides, she figured it would be better for her to be around people than all by herself. Plus, she needed a means of transportation anyway.

"Ok, I would be honored to step aboard your ship" said Ariel.

"Excellent" said Killian, with a somewhat evil smirk crossing his face. This was all to easy he though, luring in this beautiful young woman to his ship. After all, with those lonely and long days at sea, he and his crew needed some companionship.

The crew had enough for one night, and started to head towards the ship. Killian took Ariel by the hand, and as soon as she stepped on the ship, she was amazed. It was so beautiful, and big, unlike anything she had ever seen before.

"Lads, I would like to introduce you to our new friend. Her name is Ariel" said Killian.

The crew looked at her, and they all started to smile. She was young and beautiful and innocent, just what the pirates wanted.

One of them immediately grabbed her by the arm, and started to smell her hair.

"Wow Captain" he said. "Where did you get this fine piece of meat?"

"I do ask that you be gentle with her mates" said Killian. "I would like her to be in one piece in the morning."

Suddenly, about five men started to grab Ariel, pulling her towards them. She was being touched, kissed, men whispering inappropriate things into her ear.

She tried to free herself, but they where just too strong. She screamed and kicked and pleaded for them to leave her alone. She called out to Killian, hoping that he would order them to stop. Tears started to roll down her eyes. She was scared for her life. This was certainly not what she had envisioned.

Killian looked over and saw her tears. If there was one thing that he didn't like, it was a women's tears. For some reason, he started to feel guilty. This was the girl's first night as a human, and there she was fighting off lusty pirates who wanted to rape her.

"All right all right let her go!" said Killian, ordering his men to leave her alone. "You know what, if you want sex go find some whore to spend the night with. Ariel is off limits to everyone, you understand?"

The crew was angry, but they respected their captain and so they did as he wished.

Ariel was confused, she didn't know what was going on. Why was this man helping her out all of a sudden?

"Thank you" she said to him.

"Here, you will sleep in the brig tonight" said Killian, as he took her hand and led her down to the brig. He locked her up telling her he would decided what to do with her in the morning.

Ariel sat on the floor, processing everything that had just gone on. First this man comes to her, offering her adventure. Then he hands her over to his crew as if she was some sort of animal. Then he decides to save her from his crew, but then he ends up locking her up.

Strange place this human world was.


	2. Chapter 2: The Decision

Morning came, and Ariel awakened as a small crack on the on wall allowed some of the sunshine to creep in.

She was startled at first to see the bars that were keeping her imprisoned, but then she remembered what had happened last night.

The crew must have still been sleeping, since she didn't hear any movement or talking. She got up and began to stretch. Her first night as a human and she had already been captured and locked away.

She paced back and forth her tiny cell, waiting for her pirate capture to return. His words from last night ran through her mind. "I will decide what to do with you in the morning."

What was he going to do with her? Kill her? Make her his personal slave? Leave her on some deserted island? The possibilities were endless. He was a pirate after all.

Finally, after much anticipation, she heard footsteps up above. The crew was beginning to wake to begin doing their daily duties.

The door that led to where she was being held opened up, the sunlight streamed in, making Ariel wince and close her eyes. She could hear his footsteps as he walked down the stairs. Her heart started to pound and she began to enjoy every breath as if it might be her last.

But wait….. that was not Killian Jones….. no it was one of his crew members. A big, bulky man, with long brown hair.

"The Captain will be down to see you in a moment" he said, and then he walked back up the stairs and slammed the door shut behind him.

How rude Ariel thought.

A few seconds later the door opened once again. She hears the footsteps as they come down the stairs.

"FISH!" she hears someone call out.

It must be Killian, who else would call her by such a ridiculous name? I mean really Fish? she thought to herself. Is that my new nickname or something….. he should have come up with something better.

"Ah there you are. How you doing Fish?" asked Killian with a stupid smile on his face.

"Well let's see I just spent the entire night in a prison. So yeah I am doing fantastic!" said Ariel, with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Hmm, sassy this morning are we?" asked Killian. "I like it. Now, I spent all of last night thinking about what I would do with you my love."

"Really? You had that much time to think while screwing those Harlots that you brought on the ship last night?" Ariel asked him, looking at him intently.

"And how would you know about that?" asked Killian.

"Oh apparently your cabin is right next to this cage you have me in, and its not sound proof mate" said Ariel.

Killian gave her a smirk, but Ariel actually kind of found this smirk quite attractive. She didn't know why, but she did.

"All right you got me" said Killian, raising his hands up in the air as if he was surrendering. "Anyway, back to you darling. As I said, I put a lot of thought into this, and the way I see it there are two things I could do with you. One, I could make you walk the plank, in true pirate fashion. The crew would love that, we haven't had someone walk the plank in the while. Or…. I could keep you here. I am sure I can find something for you to do, or someone to do" he said as he winked at her. "Anyway if I do decide to keep you, you could be like a little pet fish… that would be quite adorable."

Ariel wasn't too thrilled about either option. She certainly didn't want to die. Although if she did walk the plank she could probably just take off the necklace she had on and turn herself back into a mermaid. But she didn't want to do that. Then there was the whole pet fish option….

"Well this is a tough decision to make mate," said Ariel. "But I got a proposition for you. You let me live, and teach me how to be a pirate, and I will do whatever you want, but I am not sleeping with anyone!"

"And why would a mermaid want to become a pirate?" he asked, actually very curious to hear her answer. He hadn't known Ariel for that long, but he was actually starting to enjoy talking to her. She smart, witty, and of course incredibly beautiful.

"Like I said, I've wanted to be a human my whole life, and see the world, find adventure" said Ariel. "And it seems that you pirates get to do all of that. So what do you say?"

Killian pondered about this for a moment. Having an extra crew member never hurt anybody, especially one who was as beautiful as the mermaid, plus she could probably come in handy.

"All right, you got yourself a deal" Killian said, as he extended out his hand.

Ariel looked at his hand with confusion and curiosity. "Umm… am I supposed to do something with your hand?" she asked.

Killian chuckled and said "yes, in our world, when someone comes to an agreement, you shake each other hands."

Ariel, nervously, extended her hand to meet Killian's. The second their hands met she let out a little gasp. His hands were rough, and hard, but also warm and welcoming compared to her icy cold fingers.

"Now umm… could you let me out please?" said Ariel.

"Oh of course, let me find the keys" said Killian, searching around.

"Is it that hanging from your belt?" asked Ariel, pointing at the keys.

"Ah yes thank you darling" said Killian.

He took the keys, and released Ariel from her prison. Finally she was free.

Ariel jumped up with joy, and hugged Killian, thanking him for letting her go. Suddenly she realized what she was doing. Why was she hugging this man?

She quickly let go and apologized for her childish behavior.

"Thats quite all right love" Killian said, as he smiled at the girl. "But I must tell you, pirates aren't big on public affection, so I suggest you don't hug anyone else."

Ariel blushed a little, she wasn't sure why. "All right so what do you want me to do?"

Killian looked at her, he examined her up and down. He walked around her, thinking about what he could do with the mermaid.

Ariel started to get a little nervous, but it was kind of a good kind of nervous.

"Well first things first" said Killian. "We are going to have to get you some clothes. That dress will not do."

Ariel looked down at her dress, confused as to why she needed to get rid of it. "Why not?" she asked.

"If you want adventure darling, its more comfortable with some pants on" said Killian.

"Are you sure this isn't just some plot to try and see me naked?" asked Ariel.

"Don't flatter yourself love" Killian said. "If I wanted to see you naked I would have already." He then winked at her again, and Ariel just rolled her eyes.

"All right I will go fetch you something, you stay here" Killian said as he went up the stairs.

After a few seconds, Ariel decided to head up to see what everyone was up too. She went up the stairs and as soon as she got up there, she was blown away. The view of the ocean was just breathtaking. The sun was shinning down on them, warming her fair skin.

The men were busy working. Killian saw her standing in the middle of the deck. He was not pleased.

"What do you think you are doing fish?" he asked her, taking her by the arm and pulling her towards the door that led down to the cellar.

"What. I just wanted to see what the crew was doing that's all" said Ariel.

"Let me tell you how it works on my ship" said Killian. "I make the demands, and you follow them. So I when I tell you to wait for me downstairs, you wait for me."

Ariel looked surprised, why was he so angry? Its not like she did anything wrong.

"Oy" said one of the crew members. "What is that little red head still doing here Captain? Are you keeping her as your personal wench?"

"Oooh maybe she is going to entertain us" said another pirate.

All of the men gathered around, curious to know why the pretty girl was still on the ship.

"All right boys, settle down, settle down" said Killian. "This is why I wanted you to stay downstairs" he whispered to Ariel. "All right boys, our little red fish friend here is going to join our crew. So I don't want any of you touching her, or bothering her at all, you understand?"

The men grumbled to themselves, disappointed, but they respected their Captain, and so they want back to their duties.

"All right here, I found this, I think it fits" said Killian, handing her over a white blouse, some black pants, a purple bandanna, a black vest, and some black boots. "Now go downstairs and change."

"Ay-ey captain" said Ariel, and she headed downstairs to change.

Killian watched as she left, smiling to himself.

Downstairs Ariel found that it was going to be a bit hard to take of her dress. Actually no, she was able to take of her dress, the corset was the real problem. It was on pretty tight, and she couldn't really untie it.

About ten minutes had passed, and she still wasn't able to take it off.

Killian began to get impatient, so he opened the door and asked her if everything was ok.

"Yeah I'm fine" Ariel said, as she tried to look for something sharp to that she could use to cut the back of the corset.

Killian decided to go down to see what was going on. He then saw Ariel, with her back towards him, trying to untie her corset. Killian laughed at the sight of this, and startled Ariel.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him.

"You sounded like you needed help" said Killian. "And it looks like I'm right. Here turn around" he said as he took a small pocket knife into his hand.

Ariel turned around reluctantly. She did not want him to help her, but she realized she hand't really made much progress.

Killian took the knife and slowly cut off the back of the corset. Ariel put her hand on her chest, to make sure it wouldn't fall off when he was done.

Once he was done, he lingered there for a moment. He wanted to kiss her, badly. He to run his hands through her hair, kiss the back of her neck. But before he could do anything, Ariel turned around and thanked him.

"My pleasure my lady" said Killian, as he gave her a small bow and walked away.

Finally, that thing was off, Ariel thought. It took her a bit longer, but she figured out how the rest of the clothes went, or at least she thought she did.

She walked up the stairs, searching for Killian to see what her first pirate duty would be.

Killian saw her as she rose up the steps. She looked beautiful he thought, even more beautiful than before.

"Ah there you are" she said as she walked towards Killian. "So what is my first pirate duty captain?"

"Well I was thinking that you could mop the floors" and he handed her the mop and a bucket of water. "You do know how to use a mop right?"

Ariel took the two items, but just stood there staring at them. Of course she didn't know how to use them, she was a mermaid after all. And Killian knew this, but he enjoyed teasing her.

He went over to her, put the bucket on the floor, put his right hand on hers and led it to grasp the mop. His left hand found hers and he slowly guided her as he took the mop, put it in the bucket, and then moved it back and forth, cleaning the floor.

"There" he said as he let her go. "Its quite simple really. Have fun love" he said, and with that he went up to the deck to take over the steering wheel.

Ariel stared at him for a bit, and then went back to mopping the floor. She certainly didn't want him to catch her staring at him.


	3. Chapter 3: The Kiss

About a week had passed since Ariel had "officially" become a part of the crew. At first things were a little awkward. There were times when she had to ask some of the crew members how to do certain things, and a lot of times they didn't really help her out. But after a couple of days, the crew seemed to start getting used to her. She slowly became part of the crew, and now she was friends with everyone. She would chat with them, joke around, they would all eat dinner together.

The crew loved her. They saw her as this adorable little sister. They taught her to talk like a pirate, how to drink beer and get drunk, how to steal, and a bunch of other stuff.

Killian was in the upper deck, near the wheel, where he always was. He was beginning to enjoy having Ariel around, not that he cared to admit it. He couldn't admit it. He was a pirate after all. He wasn't going to let some mermaid turn him into a softy. But, still he definitely thought that he might the right choice by deciding to let her stay.

Ariel looked to her left and saw that there was land ahead. It was an island, full of houses and buildings. They hadn't been to land since the night that she met Killian, so she was curious to see what they were going to do.

Ariel decided to go over to Killian to ask him what was going on.

She climbed up the steps and said "Umm… Killian?"

Killian's back was facing Ariel. He turned around at the mention of his name. His arms were crossed around his chest. He was looking down, but then his eyes slowly moved up, examining Ariel, and then their eyes locked, as he gave Ariel a little smirk.

Great, she thought, she had probably done something wrong. She knew that look well. He seemed to give it to her a lot.

"First of all my dear little fish" said Killian, "now that you are a part of my crew, you must address me as Captain Jones or Captain. This whole Killian nonsense has to stop. Secondly… what do you want?"

Ariel stood there a moment just staring at him. Man, this guy really was a pain sometimes. "I noticed that we are sailing towards an island, I just wanted to know why?" asked Ariel.

Killian gave a small little chuckle. He then turned, and for a moment, Ariel saw his tongue stick out and move a little before he answered her question.

Ariel stared at him even more, and although she really didn't understand what he was doing, she blushed a little. For some reason she found herself attracted to this. She quickly turned away, making sure that Killian didn't catch this.

"That island is where you will be put to the test. Think of it as an initiation of sorts. We're all going to get off, the crew will go get some supplies and have a little fun. Meanwhile you my dear, are going to have to steal something. What exactly I am not sure just yet, but you pass this little test, and you will become a pirate" explained Killian.

"Oh ok" said Ariel. "So did all of your crew members go through this when they first joined their crew?"

"Hahaha…. no" said Killian. "No, no this is just for you" he said, as he took his finger and briefly touched the tip of Ariel's nose, as if she was a little kid.

Although it was for a moment, Killian felt the iciness of her skin. He actually wanted to know why her skin was so cold. They were in the middle of the ocean, where it was always hot and humid. Why was she always so cold? It was quite refreshing actually, and he could only imagine what it must be like to have her ice cold body on top of his.

"By the way love, why are you so cold?" asked Killian.

At first Ariel thought he was joking, but she could see in his eyes that he was actually quite serious.

"Oh I didn't even realize I was cold to be honest with you mate…. umm Captain" said Ariel.

Killian stared at her for a moment, and then decided to walk over to the wheel. "Well we will be reaching land very soon. Go make yourself useful and do…. something" said Killian, shooing her away with his hand.

"Are you sure you don't want me to do someone?" asked Ariel jokingly, referring back to the conversation she had with her Captain when he was deciding what to do with her. She smiled and walked down the stairs.

"Hmmm very funny" Killian said to himself as he watched her go down the stairs. He didn't know why, but he actually blushed a little after her comment. He was actually starting to enjoy this, her little witty comments, her sassy remarks.

A few minutes later, they reached port. They let down the anchor and the crew got off, ready for a day of fun.

Ariel got off the ship, and waited for Killian, since she didn't know what exactly it was that she was going to have to do.

Killian got off the ship, pausing for a moment, breathing in the air.

"All right fish, let's see" said Killian, walking over to Ariel, putting his arm around her back as they began to walk into town.

Killian looked around. He wanted to find someone who would present a challenge for Ariel. He wanted to see what this girl could do. He searched for quite some time, but he finally found what he was looking for.

It was a man, big and strong, kind of scary too. He had a bag tied around his belt, which contained his money. On the other side of the belt was a sword. He knew it would be almost impossible for Ariel to get past him and steal his gold. But he decided to let her try.

"All right I got it" said Killian. "You see that man over there. I want you to steal his money."

Ariel saw the man and immediately she was scared. Not only was the man big and strong, but he also had a sword. How on earth was she going to steal from him? She knew one thing for certain though, she wasn't going to let him know that she was scared.

"Whats wrong love?" said Killian. "Are you too scared to do it? Because if you are thats fine. I mean I expect you to be afraid. Quite frankly I don't think you can pull it off, but I would love to see you try."

"I'm not scared" said Ariel. "I'm just… thinking of a plan." Yeah that sounded right, that should buy her some time.

Some of the crew members began to gather around. They weren't going to miss this.

Ariel knew she had to pull this off, especially since it seemed no one believed she could. But how was she going to get past this man?

Suddenly she looked over and saw a women talking with a man. The women was a beautiful blonde, tall and slender. She was sitting on the man's lap, smiling, moving her hand across his body. Then she noticed something. She took his money from him. It was quick and stealth, he didn't' even notice. She then got up, and left gently, making sure that his eyes were still fixed on her.

Suddenly Ariel got an idea. She knew she wasn't going to be able to fight this man, and if she got caught she would be in a lot of trouble. But maybe she could seduce him, or at least make him interested in her, distract him. Then, when the moment was right, she could take his money and walk away, just like the blonde woman did. There was just one thing she wasn't sure of. Was she attractive enough to pull it off?

She turned over to Killian, and asked him in a quiet, hesitant voice "Captain….. do you… find me…. attractive?"

As soon as she finished the sentence, the whole crew started to laugh. What a childish thing to ask they thought.

Killian chuckled a little too. Of course he found her attractive. He actually thought that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. But he wasn't going to admit that to her. He found it curious that she would ask this though. Surely a girl as beautiful as her would know about her beauty?

"This isn't a beauty contest love" said Killian. "Now if you could please go over there and get this over with, we don't have all day."

Ariel decided to go ahead and try to do what the blonde woman did.

She began to walk over to man, trying to look as sexy and seductive as she possibly could. However to the pirates, she just looked awkward and funny.

She could hear them snickering behind her. "Ok, tone it down a bit Ariel, don't try so hard," she told herself.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, she had reached the man. She began to bat her eye lashes at him, thinking that it was sexy.

She then decided to just go right in, so she opened up her legs and sat on his lap. This was extremely uncomfortable, she thought.

Killian and the men just stood there staring at her.

"Ello there mate" said Ariel, in her most seductive voice possible.

"Why hello there" said the man, putting his hands on Ariel's hips. "What can I do for you?"

Ariel really didn't want to do this anymore, but she had to, so she tried to make it as quick as possible. She decided to lean in and whisper something sexy into his ear.

As she did this, she slowly took her hand and started to untie the bag of coins from the belt. As she did this, she almost dropped the bag. Her heart started to pound quickly and she lost focus for a second. But she quickly recovered, and the man didn't seem to notice. She took the bag and quietly put it in her pocket.

She then started to lean back, gave a little wink to man, got up and walked away.

She walked over to a stand that was selling fruits, and hid behind it, as she watched the man walk towards the bar.

She then went over to were her fellow pirate fans where. She took out the bag and handed it over to Killian.

"Here you Captain" said Ariel, with a triumphant smile on her face.

Killian took the bag, and examined its contents. There was a decent amount of coins in there. He then handed the bag over to one of the crew members.

"Well, you are officially a pirate" said Killian.

The crew began to cheer. A couple of them went over to Ariel, picked her up and started to slowly toss her up and down. After a few tosses, they put her down, and they all headed to the bar to celebrate.

Ariel was laughing. Killian had never seen her so happy before.

"I have to say fish, I am impressed" said Killian. "I didn't think you would pull it off."

"Well you underestimated me" said Ariel, smiling.

"I sure did, come I'll buy you a drink" said Killian.

They went to the bar to meet up with the rest of the crew. They got beer and sat down at a large table. Some of the men were already busy with some wenches, but Ariel wasn't going to let anything spoil this moment for her.

"A toast" said Killian, raising his glass "to Ariel, the newest member of the Jolly Roger! CHEERS!"

All the pirates raised their glass. Ariel wasn't quite sure what they were doing, but she raised her glass nonetheless.

As she took a sip of her beer, she noticed that the man she had just stolen from was looking right at her.

"By the way love, what where you whispering to that man?" asked Killian. "I was actually a bit jealous that he had you all to himself like that."

And it was the truth. Seeing Ariel sitting on some other man's lap made him jealous, even if she was just pretending to be interested in him to get his money.

Ariel however wasn't listening. Her eyes were locked on the man. She was began to worry. What if he figured out that she stole his money. What if he really thought that she was going to meet him in one of those private rooms to sleep with him. And now she was sitting here with all these men, what if he got angry.

"Fish? Fish?" asked Killian, curious as to why she wasn't paying attention to him. He then looked over to where Ariel was looking and saw the man.

Killian then turned back to Ariel, who decided to just stare down at her drink.

He took her chin with hand and made her face him, their eyes meeting.

"Kiss me" he said, as he leaned in toward her.

"What? Why?" asked Ariel. This certainly was not the time nor the place.

"Kiss me" said Killian. "If he sees you with another man then he'll think your occupied and leave you alone."

"But what if" but she wasn't able to finish her sentence, for Killian's lips were touching hers.

She was startled. Why was he doing this? She had to admit though, the feel of his lips felt so good, so right. She didn't want him to stop.

But he did, as he slowly pulled away. Ariel opened her eyes, staring into his blue eyes.

She wanted to say something, but she was cut off. The man was standing right behind Killian.

"Oh no," she thought. "This isn't going to be pretty."

The man tapped Killian on the shoulder, and Killian turned around.

"May I help you?" asked Killian.

"You just kissed my whore bitch" he said, and suddenly, he punched Killian right in the jaw.

"Killian" Ariel screamed, worried that he was hurt.

Killian was fine however. He quickly got up to face the man.

"I'm sorry but I didn't know that she belonged to" said Killian.

"Well she doesn't but…" said the man.

"But what? Hmm? Listen if you touch her, my entire crew here and myself will make sure to beat your sorry ass up" said Killian.

As soon as he said this, the whole crew got up behind Ariel, backing up their Captain.

The man, clearly over matched, decided to just walk away.

Ariel let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you" she said.

"Don't mention it love, you're one of us now" said Killian. "Now I think I am going to leave. I've had enough of this. Boys, you may come on the ship when ready, but don't take too long."

Ariel remained in her seat, processing everything that had just happened. Killain had just saved her. He could have easily just handed her over to this man, but instead he defended her and so did the crew. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought he was.

And that kiss…. she still didn't know what to make of it. She certainly enjoyed it, but… she didn't know why. She didn't want to be attracted to Killian, she certainly didn't want to start to develop feelings for him.

But is it possible? Maybe he was starting to have feelings for her? No…. he couldn't.

She decided to just put it behind her, thinking that Killian was just being Killian, and Killian was a charming, manipulative pirate, who wanted women for thing and one thing only.

She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she realized the whole crew was gone already. She got up and started walking toward the ship.


	4. Chapter 4: New Friends

Killian was on the upper deck, looking out into the ocean. He was trying to decide what their next destination would be. Mainly because he didn't want to think about the kiss he had just shared with Ariel. He did enjoy, a little too much actually, it was beginning to worry him. Usually when he kisses women it's not a big deal, it's just a kiss after all.

But with Ariel it was different. He actually enjoyed. That is not to say he didn't enjoy the millions of other kisses he had experienced before, it was just a different kind of pleasure. The other ones usually led to sex, and then that was it. He was done. But with Ariel, it left him wanting more. That was something he did not want though. He didn't want to fall in love. The sea was the only thing he truly loved in this world, because he knew he could never lose it. Opening up his heart to Ariel however, that could get complicated.

Speaking of Ariel actually, where was she, Killian wondered to himself. He turned to face the crew, and he saw that all of them where already on the ship getting ready to set sail, all except his little mermaid friend.

"Have you guys seen our little fish friend?" Killian asked his crew.

"I think she's still at the bar" one of them shouted out.

"Will someone please go get her?" Killian ordered, in a somewhat annoyed voice. He certainly did not want to start babysitting her.

Just as Killian finished his sentence, Ariel appeared on board, gasping, trying to catch her breath.

"Why are you out of breath Ariel" asked Holden, one of the crew members. He was one of the younger men on board. He had actually been very nice to Ariel from the beginning, and the two of them had become good friends.

"I was….. running over here because I thought you guys might have left" said Ariel.

"Well we're still here so can you please get on so we can go?" said Killian.

"Actually since your still here, I was hoping you could wait for just a few more minutes. You see I haven't really spoken to my father since I left home, and I really need to talk to him, he is probably extremely worried about me at this point" explained Ariel.

"And why can't you do it on the ship?" asked Killian, again with an annoyed tone to his voice.

"Well you see the only way I can communicate with him is through this magic shell he gave me, and I need to be in the water to do that. I mean, like the shell needs to be in the water and I need to be in the water, and yeah it's complicated. So please just give a few minutes."

Killian looked up into the sky for a moment. Ariel could see that he wasn't please, but she really needed to talk to her father. "All right off you go" said Killian. "But if you're not back in ten minutes we are leaving without you."

Ariel nodded her head, and ran off to the beach.

She went as far as she could get, she didn't want to have anyone around.

She took the shell and placed it on the ground, the waves rocking back and forth. She sat down, and then took her hand and rubbed the shell three times. She then took her necklace and opened it up. Inside was a pearl, a magical pearl.

She placed the pearl inside of the shell. The shell started to suck in some of the water from the ocean, and it started to form a mirror-like wall of water. In a few moments Ariel's father appeared.

Ariel's father was Triton, King of the Sea.

"OH Ariel, where have you been? I have been so worried about you, I was afraid you were in trouble!" said Triton, with a look of relief on his face.

"Sorry dad I've just been really busy" said Ariel.

"Busy…. doing what?" asked Triton.

Ariel told him about everything that had happened since she transformed into a human.

It was a lot to take in, and Triton just stood there, looking at his daughter. He sends her off to see the world, and she ends up getting involved with Pirates. He didn't like this at all.

"Ariel" said Triton.

"Dad I know what you're going to say, but please listen to me" said Ariel. "I really, really love being out here, and sailing the seas, and exploring lands. I am not too fond of all the stealing and stuff, but that isn't me anyway. I just want the adventure, the freedom."

"Are you sure this has nothing to do with this Captain of yours?" asked Triton.

"No dad" said Ariel letting out a small sigh. "Captain Jones is nothing you need to worry about."

Killian was actually standing a few feet away from her as she said this, but he made sure to stay out of sight. He couldn't believe it though; Ariel was the daughter of Triton, the most powerful creature in the sea, which meant that she was a princess. Suddenly Killian had an idea. He could probably get a lot of money if he wanted to sell her off to some rich man in search some company. She was a princess after all and not just any princess, the daughter of the all-mighty Triton. But at the same time, if he did do this, Triton would probably find out and kill him. So he decided to let that idea go.

"All right Ariel, I trust you" said Triton. "I have to go now. I love you, and be careful."

"I love you too daddy" said Ariel. "And I will, I'll talk to you soon. Bye." And with that, the water mirror disappeared. Ariel took the pearl and put it back in her necklace.

Interesting Killian thought, that necklace was more valuable than he thought.

She then took the shell and started to head towards the ship. Just then Killian decided to come out from behind the bush he was hiding in.

"So, you're Tritons daughter" Killian said, with a mischievous look on his face.

"What are you doing here?" asked Ariel. "I thought you said you were going to leave if I didn't return in ten minutes? Couldn't stand the idea of leaving me huh?"

"No, actually I umm actually saw this very pretty young lady walking towards here and since you weren't back yet I decided to get her attention. I just happened to run into you once I was done with her."

This was a lie of course. He actually was worried about her. She had been gone for about thirty minutes, so he decided to go look for her.

"Right, well we can go now" said Ariel.

"Hold on love, when were you planning to tell me that you were Triton's daughter?" asked Killian. "That is quite valuable information."

"And that is exactly why I wasn't going to tell you and why I didn't want to find out" said Ariel. "And if you dare try to sell me off because of who I am, my father will find out, and he will kill you."

"Is that a threat?" asked Killian.

"Yes" said Ariel, her eyes were locked on his eyes.

"Don't worry love" said Killian. "The thought did cross my mind but I am not stupid you know. Now come we really must get going."

"Why are you in such a rush?" asked Ariel.

"You see that castle over there?" said Killian, pointing to this grand castle that was at the top of the mountain at the far end of the island. "That is where the Queen and King live."

"So?" asked Ariel, not seeing what the big deal was. "You're a pirate, why do you care about the Queen and King? Did you steal their treasure or something?"

"No" said Killian.

"Then whats wrong?" asked Ariel. She was determined to find out why he wanted to leave so badly.

Suddenly, a piece of paper flew by Ariel and landed on the floor. It was a wanted poster, and surely enough Killian Jones was on it.

"Is this why?" asked Ariel, picking up the paper and showing it to him. "Because you are on the most wanted list?" Ariel started to laugh, finding the situation amusing.

"OF course not" he said, snatching the piece of paper from her hands and crumbling it up in his fist. "I take pride in being on the most wanted list."

"Yeah so much pride that you decided to crumble it up and throw it out, instead of keeping it so you could put it in your cabin" said Ariel teasingly.

"Laugh all you want its true" said Killian. "No the reason I want to leave is because there is a ball tonight, and I didn't want you to find out because you would probably beg me to go, and I really hate balls."

"There is a ball tonight?" Ariel asked, a huge smile forming on her face. "Well you were right; I will beg you to go. I have always wanted to go to a ball! Captain we need to go."

Killian rolled his eyes. This is exactly what he didn't want, but the girl was so persistent that he felt the need to tell her. One of the many things he liked about her, he supposed.

"Please, please please, please, please" said Ariel, tugging on his arm like a child.

"You are not going to stop until I say yes are you?" asked Killian.

Ariel nodded, those big green-blue eyes looking right into his. There was no way he could say no.

"Fine, you can go" said Killian.

"Wait, your not coming?" asked Ariel.

"Of course not, I told you I hate balls" said Killian. "The crew might be interested; I doubt it though so you're on your love."

"But you can't leave me alone. I won't know anybody, I don't even know how to get there" said Ariel. "It will be fun, please? Besides there will be food, and music and plenty of women for you to try to bang."

Killian looked at her curiously. Was she really trying to bribe him to go by mentioning women?

"It would really mean a lot to me if you came" said Ariel.

Killian stared at her for a bit before answering her. "Fine" said Killian.

"AH thank you!" Ariel said happily. She moved towards Killian and put her arms around him, hugging him.

Killian was taken off guard by this. Ariel quickly realized that she was doing and quickly pulled away, a bit embarrassed.

"Right, well you better go get a dress" said Killian.

Ariel nodded, and went off.

Meanwhile Killian went back to the ship and told the men about the ball. He told them to try to get some nice clothing; they couldn't walk in there looking like pirates.

A few hours later, the men where all ready to go, they were just waiting for Ariel to come. They were going to take a carriage, while the rest of the men were going to ride on some horses.

All of the men looked very handsome and clean in their black suits. Some of them stole the suits, others bought them, but they looked nice nonetheless.

Even Killian looked extremely dashing in his suit.

Ariel finally arrived, looking absolutely stunning in this emerald colored dress she bought. It was the same color as the emerald on her necklace and it really brought out her eyes. Her hair was pulled back, leaving her bangs to fall on her face. She took Killian's breath away.

"Wow" she said as she saw all of the men dressed so nicely. "You guys look amazing."

"Thank you" said Killian. "You don't look so bad yourself. Shall we?" he asked as he extended out his hand.

Ariel took his hand, and he led her to their carriage. The rest of the men got on their horse, and they headed off to the ball.

They reached the castle in about an hour. It was really a beautiful castle and a beautiful night. The moon and stars were shining brightly, and you could see the reflection of the moon on the ocean.

They got out of the carriage and walked towards the gate. Once they reached inside, Ariel was amazed. There was so many people there, dancing, smiling, having a good time.

Killian could see how happy she was. "Why don't you run along, have fun. I'm going to get a drink" said Killian.

Ariel went off, excited to go dance and meet new people.

The King and Queen had just made their grand entrance, and went off to dance. After they took the floor, everyone else joined in.

After a few dances, the King decided to go get a drink. The Queen was left on her own.

Ariel was distracted by all of the beautiful artwork around her, and she accidently bumped into the Queen.

"Oh my gosh I am so sorry your highness" said Ariel.

"Its ok don't worry" said the Queen. "You can call me Snow by the way, your highness is too regal."

"Right Snow, nice to meet you, I'm Ariel" she said.

"Ariel, what a beautiful name" said Snow. "You know I haven't seen you around before, are you new here?"

"You could say that" said Ariel.

"Oh well welcome I am so glad you could make it" said Snow.

The two ladies went off to talk. Snow was really nice, Ariel thought. It was nice to finally meet another woman; she really hadn't been around any since turned human.

Meanwhile the King, Charming, was over at the food table, getting himself a drink.

Killian was also there, standing by himself, drinking a glass of punch.

"Having fun?" asked Charming, standing next to Killian.

"Oh yeah I am having a blast" said Killian.

"Are you by yourself?" asked Charming.

"Now I am here with someone. Well many people actually" said Killian.

"That's good. So umm where are they?" asked Charming.

Killian looked around and found Ariel talking to some woman.

"Ah you see the red head over there in the emerald dress?" asked Killian, pointing to Ariel. "I'm with her."

"Ah, she's beautiful" said Charming. "She is also talking to my wife."

"Oh that's your wife?" asked Killian. "Huh"

"Yeah" said Charming. "It looks like they're having a good time."

"I suppose so" said Killian.

"Well it was nice meeting you…?" said Charming.

"Ah Adrian Peters" said Killian, knowing that if he said his real name, he might recognize who he was.

"Charming, nice to meet you" said Charming, shaking Killian's hand. "Well I must go, enjoy the ball."

"Thank you, you too" said Killian.

He saw Charming go over to Ariel and his wife. They both left, leaving Ariel alone.

Killian decided to walk over to her. Once he reached her, he tapped her shoulder.

Ariel turned around.

"My lady, would you like to dance?" asked Killian, extending his hand.

"Oh I would love to" said Ariel. "But I don't know how."

"That's all right love, I'll teach you" said Killian.

She took his hand and he led her to the dance floor. He took her free hand, and placed it on his shoulder. He took his hand and placed it on her hip.

They then started to move back and forth, Ariel looking down at his feet to see what she had to do. After a few tries, she finally got it, and they started to dance.

She couldn't stop smiling, she was really enjoying herself. He spun her around a few times, and they kept their eyes locked on each other at all times.

How nice it felt to have her in his arms, so close to him.

Ariel decided that now was a good time to ask him something that had been on her mind all day long.

"Captain, can I ask you something?" said Ariel.

"Anything, love" said Killian.

"I just wanted to know, why, why did you kiss me earlier today?" Ariel asked. She was a bit worried that he wouldn't answer her.

Killian looked at her, surprised that she would ask such a question. Did she feel something special like he had? Or did she regret him kissing her? Either way, he wasn't going to admit how he felt about it, not to her, not even to himself.

"Don't flatter yourself love, I only did it because I thought it would get that man to go away. Obviously I was wrong. But it didn't mean anything if that is what you're asking."

"No, of course not I know that, I just wanted to know that's all" said Ariel. She found herself to be a bit disappointed. She felt like such a fool for asking him that. Here they were having an actual romantic moment, and she had to ruin it. But that kiss was something.

It certainly wasn't her first kiss, she had plenty of admirers back home, but it was her first kiss with a human, and it was the first kiss where she really felt like it was something special. It was magical actually. She hoped that Killian felt the same way, but it was clear that he didn't. It was just another kiss to him.

"I am umm, going to go now" said Killian, as he started to walk away. "I'll see you at the ship."

Ariel just stood there, watching him leave. Then she noticed that he went over to talk to some women. They talked for quite some time, and then they ended up leaving together. Great she thought, another harlot.

She decided to go and try to find Snow. She could really use the company.


	5. Chapter 5: Will he come back?

Ariel searched around trying to find Snow. She looked around but couldn't find her.

She went to get some food, she realized she hadn't really eaten anything all day.

"OMG I love your dress" she heard someone say behind her. Ariel turned around, and standing in front of her was a tall, skinny girl. She had long black hair, and green eyes. Her skin was fair like hers. She was really pretty. She was wearing a beautiful black dress, but you could tell she wasn't someone who came from money.

"Thank you" said Ariel, smiling at the girl.

"Of course I would prefer it in red, but you look so great in that color" said the girl. "I'm Red."

"Red?" asked Ariel. "Thats a pretty name. I'm Ariel."

"Nice to meet you" Red said, smiling. "I have never seen you before are you new here?"

"You could say that mate" said Ariel. Red seemed nice, she couldn't find Snow so she could probably just talk with Red.

The two ladies chatted for a good amount of time. They actually had a lot in common. They both felt a bit out of place their whole lives. They dreamed of a life of adventure and romance.

"Ah there you guys are" said Snow walking towards Red. "Red I see you met Ariel."

"Yes oh my god, I think we are going to be really good friends" said Red.

Ariel smiled. She really liked being here, Snow and Red were really nice, and she wanted to be friends with them. She didn't really have any friends back home, unless you count her friend Flounder, but he was a fish. She wasn't really close to any of her sisters, because none of them understood her. And her father well, she loved him but they didn't always see eye-to-eye.

"You know Ariel if you don't have anywhere to stay you can stay here with us" said Snow. "

"Really mate you sure?" asked Ariel.

"Absolutely" said Snow. "I would love some company."

The thought of staying in this castle with Snow and Charming was amazing. She could learn so much from them. Plus she could see Red again, and probably meet some other princesses.

"Wow thank you I really appreciate it" said Ariel. "But... I don't know I mean I don't know if I should abandon the crew. I can't. But I would really love to stay. I don't know."

"Well whatever you decide is fine" said Snow, smiling at Ariel.

"Wait you're living with pirates?" asked Red, a bit worried.

"Yeah but don't worry I am part of the crew really so. Plus they're all really nice, even the Captain once you get to know him" explained Ariel.

"You know Ariel I know you trust them, but pirates are very ruthless men" said Snow. "Its certainly no place for someone like you, new to our world."

"Well I understand your concern but I have actually really enjoyed my time with them" said Ariel. "But staying here for a bit is quite enticing. I have always wanted to be somewhere where I felt like I belonged. And I feel like that here. "

"Then stay here" said Red. "We can have so much fun together!"

Ariel really wanted to stay, but she also wanted to continue to sail the ocean with her pirate friends, and she was afraid that if she decided to stay, she would never see them again. Surely Killian would probably leave her here, unless she gave him a reason to come back.

"I'll be right back" said Ariel. She stormed off, heading towards the Jolly Roger.

Meanwhile back at the ship, Killian was really the only one there, along with the woman he brought along with him. The rest of the crew was still at the ball having fun.

Killian finished making love to his new lady friend, and he was putting on his clothes.

The woman was of medium height, with blonde hair, and blue eyes. She was actually Cinderella. She and her Prince had broken up, so she decided to come to Snow's party to just forget about things and have fun, and she certainly had fun tonight.

"Well that was something" said Cinderella, as she got herself dressed.

Killian was laying in his bed, lost in his thoughts. "Huh?" he asked. "Oh yes it was love" he said smiling at her.

"Whats wrong" asked Cinderella. "You look like you are worried."

"No I'm ok love, why don't you run along" said Killian.

Cinderella got up and left, leaving Killian alone with his thoughts.

Killian kept thinking about Ariel, how beautiful she looked tonight, how much fun she was having. The fact that she asked him about the kiss bothered him however. It really wasn't meant to be something significant. It was just a kiss, but Killian knew that it left him wanting more, so much more. But getting Ariel wouldn't be as easy as it has been with all the other woman he had been with. He could see that she was stubborn, headstrong, she would not give in. Being a virgin especially, she wouldn't just give it away to anyone.

In order to have Ariel, she would have to fall in love with him. But then again, he wasn't sure he wanted that. This girl was different. She wasn't just some girl, she wasn't just some disposable pleasure that he wanted to go after. She might be worth the actual pursuit, she might be worth everything, and that scared Killian.

As Ariel arrived at the ramp to get on the ship, Cinderella was walking towards her. She saw Ariel and immediately thought that she was here to sleep with Killian.

"Ugh he just finished with me and he's brought in another one" said Cinderella with anger in her voice. "What a pig. What does he have a line outside or something?"

"I'm not here to sleep with anyone" said Ariel.

"Oh, then why are you here?" said Cinderella.

"I ummm just walking around" said Ariel, hoping that would make her go away.

Cinderella nodded and left. Ariel climbed on board and was a bit surprised to see that there was no one around.

Ariel started to walk towards Killian's cabin just as he opened the door.

"Ah fish, back already?" said Killian.

"We need to talk" said Ariel. "And by the way can you stop calling me fish, its rather annoying and stupid."

"If it annoys you then I will keep doing it " said Killian, as he gave Ariel a quick little wink.

Ariel rolled her eyes. "Great" she thought "now I am stuck with this name."

"My name is Ariel. I don't appreciate you calling me fish, its actually quite offensive."

"Ok" said Killian. "What about Ems? Thats what I call you in my head, because of your necklace. Ems short for emerald."

"So you think about me often then?" asked Ariel.

Killian looked at Ariel and smiled, he was really starting to like where this was headed.

"What if I told that I did?" asked Killian, moving closer to Ariel.

"I would be a bit surprised, you don't seem like the type of man to get hung up one gal" said Ariel. "After all you just slept with that blonde chick, mate."

"Well the fun doesn't have to end there" Killian said. He started to lean in towards Ariel.

Ariel saw that he was trying to kiss her. She wasn't sure if she should pull away or let him. She knew what he wanted, but she wasn't sure she could give it to him. She didn't really know him and although she was attracted to him, she wasn't sure she could just give in. No, she wouldn't. If he wanted to have her, he would have to prove to her that he is worth it.

"Easy mate" Ariel said, pulling away slightly. "I know what you are trying to do, and its not going to work."

"And what am I trying to do?" asked Killian, still standing pretty close to her.

"You are trying to do what you do best, which is seduce me and get me to sleep with you" said Ariel. "But, unfortunately for you it won't be that easy."

"I figured that much out lass" said Killian, turning around and starting to walk towards the railing of the ship, to look out to the sea. "Anyway, what did you want to talk to me about? I really don't think it was about you being annoyed at me calling you fish."

Ariel totally forgot about why she was here in the first place. "Oh right" she said. "Well the thing is, Snow, the Queen, she offered me the opportunity to stay with her and Charming, teach me all sorts of human stuff and what not."

As Killian listened to Ariel, a sadness started to overtake him. He knew where this was going. She wanted to leave, and the thought of not having her around anymore disappointed him. He would actually miss her, and the crew would too.

"So you want to go off to learn how to be a princess?" said Killian, somewhat annoyed.

"Well not exactly" said Ariel.

"What happened to the girl who wanted adventure, who wanted to explore the world? The girl who wanted to be a pirate? Are you just going to give that up to go hang out with some royal pricks you will teach you how to drink tea and ride a pony. What you want you won't find with them."

"You don't know what I want" said Ariel, somewhat surprised at how annoyed Killian was. "Yes all those things you said, I want that. I am still that girl. But my entire life, I have felt like a fish out of water, only I was in the water. I felt out of place, like I didn't belong. And after tonight, I have never felt more happy in my whole life. I feel like I belong with them. But I also belong with you guys, this who I am meant to be."

"So what do you expect me to just leave you here and then come back for you?" said Killian.

"No I don't expect you to do that" said Ariel. "I know that if I decide to stay here, you won't come back, not unless I give you a reason too."

Getting her back would be reason enough for Killian, but he didn't want her to know that.

"All right, so if I do decide to let you stay, whats your reason for me to come back?" asked Killian.

"First of all mate, you will not decide if I stay here or not. You don't own me, you may be my captain but I don't belong to you. I am going to stay. Your reason to come back is the fact the I know of a hidden treasure that even you don't know about. I kind of hoped that you would come back just to have me back on the ship but we both know that won't happen. So here is what I propose to you. You let me stay here for a few months, and then you come back for me, and I will lead you this treasure."

"And what is going to stop me from getting this treasure now?" asked Killian.

"I am the only one who knows about it" said Ariel.

"And why is that lass?" said Killian, with a curious look in his eyes, and a wide smile.

"That is for me to know and for you to not find out" said Ariel, winking at Killian.

"Hmm all right love, you have convinced me" said Killian. "I will give you one year to pursue this little fantasy of yours. Once that year is up, I will be back and you will lead me to this treasure."

"You better be back" said Ariel. "Well I guess this is goodbye then."

"I guess so" said Killian. He took Ariel's hand and kissed it. "My lady."

Ariel smiled at him, and walked off. One year she thought, one year.


	6. Chapter 6: She's a wolf

Killian watched as Ariel walked away towards the castle. One year, he thought to himself. That was actually a really long time, and Killian knew that he was going to miss her. He didn't want to miss her because that would imply that he was actually starting to feel something for her, and he didn't want that.

He walked back to his cabin, waiting for his crew to come back from the ball.

As Ariel walked towards the castle gates, the whole crew was walking out. Some of them were pretty drunk, some of them intended to bring some company over to the ship. Holden saw Ariel walking towards them and asked her where she was going.

"I am not going with you guys" said Ariel. "I have decided to stay here for a bit. But don't worry Killian promised he would come back so we will see each other. Anyway I just want to thank all of you for making me feel like a part of the crew and making these last few weeks just so wonderful."

She proceeded to hug each and every one of them, although she knew that Killian had once told her not to hug the crew, since they didn't like public affection, but she did anyway. And to Ariel's surprise, all of them hugged her back. Some of them were actually crying too.

"No don't cry mate" said Ariel. "You're going to make me cry."

"Well Ariel, I am going to miss you" said Holden, hugging his new friend. "See you soon then."

Ariel smiled and waved good-bye to her new friends. She was going to miss them.

She then turned around and headed towards the ball.

"There you are, we have been looking for you everywhere" said Snow, as she and Red walked towards Ariel.

"Sorry I was just saying goodbye to the crew" said Ariel.

"So you are going to stay?" asked Red, with a huge smile on her face.

"Yes" said Ariel.

"AHH this is great" said Red. "We are going to have so much fun together. We'll take you out to the woods, and I'll introduce you to Granny, and everyone in town. It's going to be great."

"Whats going on here ladies?" asked Charming, as he walked over towards Snow.

"Ariel has decided to stay with us" said Snow.

"Ah that's wonderful Ariel, welcome to the family" said Charming.

"Thank you so much mate" said Ariel, with a huge smile on her face. "I am really looking forward to this."

The four friends went off to dance, and enjoy the rest of the ball.

Back at the ship, the crew was getting back on board, getting ready to set sail.

"Captain" said Holden. "You let Ariel go, why?"

Killian looked over at Holden.

"Well lass" said Killian. "She wanted to go, I am not going to force her to stay here. Besides, she'll be back. Now off you go, we need to set sail."

"Where to Captain?" asked Holden.

"Anywhere but here" said Killian.

And with that, the Jolly Roger was off, setting sail to their next destination.

The next morning Ariel woke up. She was a bit startled at first wondering why she was in this big, comfortable bed instead of sleeping in a hammock, with the ship rocking back and forth as it moved with the ocean. The she remembered, she wasn't on the ship anymore. She wasn't going to be there for a while.

Ariel got up, and went out to the hallway, it was pretty quiet, no one was up apparently. She decided to go downstairs and do some exploring, she didn't really get a chance to see the castle since she was so busy having fun.

The castle was very pretty. It was huge, full of a lot of artwork, big windows that were letting the sun in; it was so very different from the castle she had grown up in back home.

"Ah you're up" said Snow. "Good morning."

"Good morning" said Ariel. "I have to say your home is spectacular. It's nothing like our castle."

"Aww thank you" said Snow. "Do you miss your home Ariel?"

Ariel thought about this for a moment. She did miss home. She missed her dad, and her sisters, and Flounder, and just being under the ocean and swimming around, and searching the ocean for any human objects Ariel could find. But she also loved being a human, and being on land, and she knew she made the right choice.

"I do, I miss it very much, and my family too" said Ariel. "But this whole experience has been incredible and I wouldn't trade it for the world."

Snow smiled at her. She admired Ariel for what she was doing. Leaving her family behind like that couldn't have been easy, especially for someone so young, but she did it anyway, because that was her dream.

"So what are we doing today?" asked Ariel.

"Well Red was going to come over, and the three of us were going to head to the woods. We need some more firewood and we wanted to pick some berries and stuff so."

"Oh that sounds great" said Ariel. "Though I would think that with you being the Queen and all that you would have people to do that for you."

"Oh well you know I've always been a pretty independent person, and too be honest I am still not used to this whole royalty thing, it really isn't me."

"Well I really like that" said Ariel.

Snow went to say goodbye to Charming and the two ladies headed off to the woods were they would meet Red.

It took Ariel and Snow about an hour to get to the woods, but they made it, and right Red was waiting for them when they got there.

"Hey girls" said Red, smiling at her two friends.

"Hey Red" said Snow and Ariel.

"All right ready to go?" asked Red.

The girls nodded and they headed off into the woods. They spent the whole day walking around, gathering some wood, getting berries and other things, and just enjoying the beauty of nature.

Ariel was amazed, she had never seen a forest before. It was beautiful. The trees were tall, the leaves were a bunch of different colors, since it was Fall;Reds, yellows, oranges, browns. There were all sorts of creatures running around that Ariel had never seen before. It was all so magical. She was constantly going off on her own, wanting to explore and see everything she could, asking Snow and Red all sorts of questions.

The sun started to set, and the moon slowly rose up to take its place. As it got dark, Ariel could start to see the stars come up. There were so many stars, it was a beautiful sight. She had seen stars before, but something about seeing them in the forest just made it a different experience.

Snow looked up and noticed that there was a full moon. Then she quickly looked over at Red and noticed that she wasn't wearing her red cape. This wasn't good Snow thought.

"Red" whispered Snow, not wanting Ariel to find out. "Did you know there was a full moon tonight?"

Red looked up and saw the full moon. A look of worry set in her eyes. She had completely forgotten about the full moon. She left her red cape at her house.

Ariel saw that the two ladies were worried and she asked them what was wrong.

"She might as well know" said Red.

"Know what?" asked Ariel, a bit scared, not knowing what was going on.

"I'm a werewolf" said Red. "There is a full-moon tonight, and I have this red cape that protects me during full moons but I left it at home. You guys need to go before I turn."

"But you won't hurt us" said Ariel. "I know you won't."

"Unfortunately, when I convert into a wolf, its a bit hard to control myself. I've killed people before Ariel, including the love of my life. I really don't want to hurt you guys. You need to go, you need to go now!"

"Come on Ariel" said Snow, taking Ariel's arm.

Red started get down on the ground. Her skin began to change, as brown fur began to appear. Her breathing accelerated, as she tried to control herself, to fight off this change, but she couldn't. She started to grow bigger and bigger, her eyes changed from those pretty light green eyes, to these sinister, deadly yellow eyes.

Ariel started to get scared, and she and Snow started to run off.

"We can't just leave her here" said Ariel. "What if someone finds her?"

"Don't worry, there is no one around here for miles" said Snow. "No one will find her. But I think we should go to her house, and get her cape. She might try to go to town."

Snow and Ariel started to run off towards Red's cottage. The Red wolf, meanwhile, was desperately trying to find some flesh to sink her teeth into. Red wasn't in full control of her wolf body, but she did know that the wolf part of her was trying to get to her friends and kill them. She tried as hard as she could to let them get away, but after a while she just couldn't do it anymore. They were pretty far away by now, but Red could still smell them and she followed that scent.

Snow and Ariel were almost at Red's cottage, when Ariel tripped over a branch and fell.

Snow quickly went over to help her up, and they continued to run towards the cottage. They finally go there, but they could hear Red closing in behind them. Snow started to pound on the door, urging Granny to open it.

Granny opened the door, surprised to see Snow in such frantic behavior.

"Whats wrong dear?" she asked.

"Its Red, we need her cape now!" said Snow, walking past Granny into the cottage, desperately looking for the cape.

"Oh don't tell me she left it here?" asked Granny calmly. "Check her room."

Snow went to Red's room, and there lying on her bed was the cape. She quickly picked it up and headed towards the door.

"Ok I got it" said Snow. "Now we just need to place it on her right?"

"Yes, just place it on and she should return to normal" said Granny.

Snow was scared, but she knew that she had to do this. She went outside and waited for Red to come. It was only a matter of seconds before she caught up with them.

There she was, standing on her four legs, just a few feet away from them. Ariel found it hard to imagine that this was actually Red.

Snow stared to slowly walk towards Red, but as soon as she took a step Red quickly growled at her and stepped even closer. Snow wasn't sure if she was going to be able to put on the cape without Red jumping on her.

"Ariel" said Snow quietly. "Take the cape, slowly, and walk towards the kitchen, there is a back door there. I need you to go there and walk through the door. It will lead you to the woods, head to the right and you should be able to sneak up behind Red and put the cape on her."

"Are you sure?" asked Ariel.

"Quickly" said Snow.

Ariel slowly grabbed the cape from Snow and ran towards the kitchen. She couldn't find it at first, but Granny quickly gave her directions. She found the door and opened it. She ran out, to the right as Snow had told her. She knew she had to hurry, who knows what Red wolf might do. After a couple of minutes, she was a few feet behind Red. She slowly started to walk towards her, making sure not to make a sound so as to not startle Red. She was just a few inches away from her when she accidently stepped on a leaf.

Red heard the rutle of the leaf and quickly turned around. Ariel knew this wasn't good, but she had to get this cape on.

Ariel quickly ran to the side of Red and placed the cape on her back. Once the cape was on she ran towards Snow and Granny.

The three of them stood at the doorstep, watching as Red transformed from the wolf back to herself. She was naked expect for her cape, which covered her bare skin.

Red started to get up, and Snow, Ariel, and Granny started to walk towards her.

"What happened" asked Red. "Did anyone get hurt?"

"No" said Snow, smiling at her friend. "No thankfully no one got hurt. We were able to get the cape on you."

"Thank you" said Red.

"Red you need to be more careful" said Granny, as she led Red to the cottage.

"I know Granny I'm sorry, it won't happen again" said Red.

"Well, how was that for fun?" said Snow jokingly.

Ariel laughed. "Its certainly a day I will never forget."

The two of them walked to the cottage to accompany Red and Granny.

It was an eventful day indeed, but Ariel was happy to help her new friends.


	7. Chapter 7: The Dream

Killian was lying in his bed, wide awake; he really couldn't seem to fall asleep. He was restless, every time he shut his eyes they just opened up again. Suddenly he heard his door open slowly. He started to get up, slowly grabbing the gun that he kept under his pillow, just in case.

As soon as the door was completely opened, he had his gun in his hand, pointing at the intruder.

The intruder quickly put their hands up, and just stood there staring at Killian.

"Easy mate, its just me" said the intruder.

It was dark in the room, but Killian had a window that was letting in some of the light from the moon. The intruder walked to the spot where the moon was streaming in, and he quickly saw her red curls illuminated by the moon light.

It was Ariel. What was she doing here, he thought.

"Where you planning on shooting me" asked Ariel in a playful tone.

Killian gave her a little smirk and said "I'd be devastated if I ever did. What are you doing here love? Its rather late. Did you have a nightmare? You can stay here if you like. I'll take care of you."

He got up and started to walk towards Ariel. He was now standing just a few inches away from her. He could feel the coldness that her body deflected, the heat of her breath.

"I am sure you would take excellent care of me" said Ariel, as she took her hand and placed it on his chest, starting to toy around with the lace of his shirt. "The truth is mate, I didn't come here to sleep."

She took a couple of steps, till her body was right in front of his. She looked up into his blue eyes, and leaned in to kiss him.

Killian was taken by surprise. He never would have expected this, but of course, she was here, offering herself to him, he was going to take her.

Ariel ran her hands through Killian's hair, and then she moved them down to place them around his neck. His right hand immediately found its way to her soft, red hair, while his left hand was placed on her back slowly moving down her back till it reached the top of her bosom.

As they stated to get more passionate, Killian immediately lifter her up, her legs curling around his waist, and he took her to his bed, laying her down.

"Are you sure you want to do this love?" Killian asked. He wanted her more than anything, but he also knew that she was a virgin and for some reason he actually wanted to make sure that this is what she wanted. He had taken plenty of virginity's before but with Ariel he wanted to make sure it was what she wanted.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't" said Ariel. They continued to kiss each other, as they started to rip their clothes off.

Killian started to kiss her neck, slowly moving down her body.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

Killian woke up, startled by the knocking at the door, but also angry because the dream was interrupted. Actually no, he was more mad because it was a dream.

He got up and opened his door.

"What?!" he said, in a very angry tone.

"Sorry to wake you Captain, but umm we found this boat not too far away from us, I think there is someone on it" said Emmit, one of the crew members.

"I see" said Killian. "I'll be right there."

He needed a moment to collect his thoughts. It had been two months since he had left Ariel with Snow White. He didn't think that he was going to miss her, but the truth is he thought about her every day. He missed looking down, and seeing her interacting with the crew, doing her duties. He missed the conversations that they had. And now he was dreaming about sleeping with her? What was going on with him.

He decided it was best to get his mind of things, and go to see what this whole boat situation was.

He got his coat, put it on and walked out onto the deck. Emmit handed Killian his telescope so he could get a better look.

Off in the distance he could see a small boat, and inside there definitely was a person. It was hard to make out who it was, or if they were even alive, but there was a person there nonetheless.

"All right let's see what we got" said Killian. "Hoist the anchor, we'll wait till it comes to us."

The anchor fell to the depths of the ocean and the ship stood still. A few minutes later the boat was near the ship. One of the crew members got the rope ladder and put it on the railing, and then started to climb down to the boat. He picked up the body and took it up to the ship; he then laid it down on the floor.

It was a woman. She was alive, they could see her chest moving up and down as she took each breath. She was quite beautiful. She had light tan skin, long brown hair. She had curves that were accentuated by her tight dress.

She started to move slightly, and she finally woke up.

"Where am I?" she asked, looking around, confused as to why there were so many men surrounding her.

"Your aboard the Jolly Roger dear" said Killian, stepping forward.

The woman quickly looked up at Killian. He was incredibly handsome she thought to himself. But she could also tell that he was probably a pirate.

"We found on a boat, and rescued you" said Killian. "Where did you come from?"

"I... I don't remember" said the woman.

"Well can you at least tell me your name, lovely lady?" asked Killian.

"It's Vanessa."

"Well Vanessa, welcome aboard. I'm Killian Jones" he said as he offered her his hand to help her get up.

She accepted it, taking his hand. "Come, I'll get you some food" said Killian.

Ariel woke up from her sleep, screaming, her heart beating extremely fast. She was sweating.

"Ariel whats wrong?" asked a concerned Red, sitting next to her.

"Its nothing, just a bad dream thats all" said Ariel.

"Do you want to talk about it? Oh my god! You weren't dreaming about me turning into a wolf and killing you right?" asked Red, worried that know that Ariel knew about her being a wolf, she might not want to be friends with her anymore.

"No, no of course not" said Ariel. "Its nothing. I've had this same dream pretty much my whole life, ever since my mother died."

"Oh ok cause if you don't want to be my friend anymore I understand."

"No Red, just because I found out your a wolf doesn't mean I will stop liking you" said Ariel. "You and Snow have been so incredibly kind to me, you're like my sisters."

Red smiled and gave Ariel a big hug.

"OK so what was your dream about" said Red.

"Its the same dream all the time. I am hiding underneath my bed and from under the covers, I can see my mom being attacked by this other mermaid. She was stabbed with a knife several times, and I just see her trying to protect herself, trying to fight back, but the other woman just keeps stabbing her and there is blood everywhere, floating in the water. And then she just falls, her face facing me, and she mouths the words I love you before she dies. And then I always just wake up," explained Ariel.

"Oh my gosh, Ariel. So thats how your mother died then?" asked Red.

"Yeah" said Ariel, her voice cracking as tears fell down her cheeks. "I was only three years old when she died, and I can never remember anything about that night, except what I see in my dreams."

"Do you think it means something?" asked Red.

"I don't know" said Ariel. "But if it does, I am going to find out."

Red put her arm around Ariel, and Ariel layed her head on her shoulder as she started to cry.


	8. Chapter 8: You came back

It was a beautiful morning in the kingdom. Ariel and Charming got up early to go out into the woods. Ariel had been with the Charming family now for a whole year, and it had been incredible, she learned so many things.

She learned how to gather food from the forest, how to hunt, how to trade with the merchants in town, and so much more. It was everything she could have hoped for and more. Finally she had found a place where she truly felt that she belonged. Snow, Charming, and Red had become a part of her family now, and she could never thank them enough for everything they had done for her.

But before she departed back to the ocean, assuming of course that Killian did indeed show up, there was one more thing she wanted to do.

"All right Ariel, you read?" asked Charming, as he stood in front of Ariel, his sword crossing with hers.

"Ready" said Ariel.

And with that they began to fight, as metal clashed. Ariel wanted to learn how to sword-fight, and Charming was the best sword fighter around, second to Killian.

They went at it for quite some time, every time Charming managed to beat Ariel, but she wasn't one to give up.

"All right Ariel, you're making progress, why not take a break?" said Charming.

They decided to sit down on a nearby log and catch a breath.

"So todays' the day huh?" asked Charming. "You sure he's going to come?"

"Honestly... I don't know. I am not really expecting him too, I mean why would he? I am sure he has better things to do then come back for me. He probably found himself another mermaid, or fish."

"Well Ariel, whatever happens just know that we are here for you, always" said Charming.

"Thank you Charming. I really can't thank you enough for everything" said Ariel.

"No thanks needed, you're family now" said Charming,smiling at Ariel.

Vanessa was standing near the railing looking out to the sea. She seemed to take an interest in these pirates, especially there Captain, he had certainly gotten her attention.

Not just because he was quite attractive, but because of his interest in a particular young lady.

She realized that she wasn't quite sure where they were going, so she went up to the deck to ask the captain.

"Killian?" said Vanessa, in a soft seductive voice.

"Was it love?" said Killian.

Vanessa stood behind Killian, wrapping her arms around his neck, leaning in to whisper in his ear.

"Where are we going Captain?" as she took her right hand and started to swirl her finger gently around the back of his head.

Killian smiled to himself, feeling pleased with the decision to keep Vanessa on board.

"We are going to the Charming Kingdom to pick some one up" said Killian.

Vanessa smiled to herself. It had to be her, she thought. Everything was going according to plan.

"Is is that girl you were talking about? What was her name again... Aria?" asked Vanessa.

"Ariel" Killian quickly said, pulling away from Vanessa. "And yes, she is."

"She must have made quite an impression on you" said Vanessa.

"Well its always nice to make an impression" said Killian. "But why would you say that?"

"Well you dropped her off a year ago to go be a Princess, and yet you're going back for her" said Vanessa, moving around in a playful manner. "You don't do that for just anyone."

"You're right you don't" said Killian, feeling a little bit defensive. "But she's not just anyone. She's part of this crew now."

"Are you sure you don't want her back because she is the only women you've wanted that you haven't been able to bed? Or maybe you just want her back because of this treasure she is going to lead you towards." said Vanessa, giving Killian a somewhat evil smirk.

"I think you should get going Vanessa, go mop the floor or something" said Killian, somewhat annoyed, waving her away.

Vanessa smiled to herself as she started to descend the steps. "Will do Captain" she said.

Ariel and Charming headed back towards the castle. Ariel stopped for a moment, as she looked out to the sea. Was he really going to come? Ariel asked herself. She promised to lead him to some treasure, but she was afraid he might have forgotten about her. She didn't want to set her hopes to high, but she really wanted him to come back.

"Ariel, everything ok?" Charming asked, looking over at her.

"Yeah" said Ariel. "I better get my things."

She went up to her room. She got out of the dress she had on, and placed it on the bed. She got her "pirate clothes" that she had keep away in the drawer. She then took her magic shell and put it in her new bag that she gotten at the market place.

She then went downstairs to meet up with Snow and Charming. Red had also arrived, looking sad as it was time to say goodbye to her friend.

"Well I guess this it" said Ariel standing in front of them.

Snow walked over to Ariel. "Are you sure he's coming?" she asked.

"Honestly I don't know" said Ariel, shrugging her shoulders. "I am not expecting much honestly."

"Well if he doesn't come then you come back here ok?" said Snow.

"Yeah" said Ariel.

"I have something for you, well its from all of us" said Snow. She went over to the table and picked this beautiful necklace. It had a long gold chain, and a pendant at the bottom. It was a locket in the shape of a heart. "We want you to have this. There is nothing inside it, but we hope you save it for something special."

"Its beautiful" Ariel said taking the locket from Snow, tears starting to roll down her cheek. "Thank you."

She quickly went over to hug Snow, then Charming, and then Red.

"Come I'll walk to the beach" said Charming.

Ariel took one last look at the two ladies as they waved goodbye.

Charming and Ariel sat on the sand, waiting...

A couple of hours passed by and it was already getting dark. The sky was turning orange and pink and blue, as the sun was slowly starting to set.

Ariel began to worry, what if he wasn't coming? No, he probably would come at night, so the men can cool off at the tavern, she thought to herself.

Suddenly, she looked out onto the horizon, and a saw a ship! YEs a ship. But there was still no way of telling it if was the Jolly Roger. It was too far away.

"Do you have a telescope?" Ariel said quickly.

"Umm no sorry" said Charming.

Ariel sighed, disappointed.

She stared intently at the ship, as it got closer and closer. Suddenly she could see it. Yes it was the Jolly Roger. She quickly got up, a big wide smile forming on her face. He did come back.

"Its him!" said Ariel.

It was only a matter of minutes before the Jolly Roger had reached the port, the anchor falling down into the ocean, securing the ship in its place.

"Well what you know, he did come" said Charming.

The ship's gangplank was lowered and the crew started to get off, and there he was, standing right there. He looked around, searching for his little fish friend, and he finally spotted her on the beach. He started to walk towards her.

Ariel could barely contain her excitement, but she tried to calm herself down, not wanting to seem so childish.

"There you are Red" said Killian, smiling at Ariel. "Did you miss me?"

Ariel looked into Killian's eyes, oh how she missed those icy blue eyes of his.

"I think the question is did you miss me?" asked Ariel, biting the bottom of her lip.

Killian looked at her lips and although it was getting dark, he noticed this tiny little scar just underneath her lower lip.

"Well I'm here aren't I?" said Killian.

"Well it seems you two have some catching up to do, so I am going to leave" said Charming. He went over to hug Ariel goodbye. Before leaving, he turned over to Killian and said "take care of her."

"Of course" said Killian.

And with that Charming was gone. "Who was the bum?" asked Killian.

"That was King Charming" said Ariel.

"I see" said Killian.

"You must be Ariel, I've heard so much about you" said Vanessa as she suddenly came up from nowhere, walking towards the two.

Killian rolled his eyes as Vanessa walked towards them. She stood next to Killian, extending her hand to meet Ariel's.

Ariel looked at the woman. She was tall and slender, but had curves. She had long flowing brown hair, and big wide brown eyes. Her lips were full and red, her skin a soft tan color. Who could she possibly be she thought to herself.

"YEs and you are?" asked Ariel, arching one of her eyebrows.

"Don't be rude Killian, introduce me" said Vanessa, putting arm around his waist.

"I think you can introduce yourself lass" said Killian, as he took her arm off of his waist.

He was starting to get pissed off. He hadn't seen Ariel in a year and this chick was ruining everything.

"I'm Vanessa, Killian over here rescued me a few months ago" said Vanessa. "He let me join his crew."

"Which I am starting to regret" said Killian, silently to himself.

Ariel heard this comment, and giggled softly. She then took another look at Vanessa, and realized that she actually looked quite familiar. She started to stare at her trying to figure out where she knew her from.

Vanessa noticed this and asked "is everything all right dear?"

"Yeah... sorry its just... you look familiar" said Ariel. "Have we met before?"

"I don't believe so, no" said Vanessa.

"I could swear I have seen you before" said Ariel.

"Well you probably just saw someone who looks like me" said Vanessa. "Well I think I am going to go off to the tavern, Killian you coming?"

"I'll uh catch up later" said Killian.

Vanessa purced her lips in dissaproval, and walked away.

"So, Red, tell me, how was the princess training?" asked Killian.

Ariel smiled. "It was fantastic!" she said. She told him everything, about all the things she learned, the people she met, everything.

They spent about two hours just sitting on the sand, talking. How nice it felt to just be able to talk to him, no pressure or crew to distract them. Just the two of them and the sea.

"Sounds like you had a lot of fun" said Killian.

"I did" said Ariel.

"Ah by the way, I have something for you" said Killian.

"You do?" said Ariel, somewhat surprised.

"Yes" said Killian, as he got up and extended out his hand to help Ariel get up.

She gladly took it, and he lifted her up.

"Come its on the ship" said Killian. "About a month ago, I realized that it was the one year anniversary of the day we met, and that it was also your birthday, so I wanted to get you something. Wait here" he said, as he walked over to his cabin. He returned a minute later with a long wide box in his hands.

"For you my lady" he said as he presented the gift to Ariel.

Ariel opened the box, and inside was a beautiful sword.

"You got me a sword?" asked Ariel, amazed at the wonderful gift Killian had gotten her.

"Well I figured since you want to be a pirate, you need a sword" Killian said, as he smiled at Ariel.

Ariel took the sword into her hands. It truly was remarkable. She slowly ran the blade down her hand, admiring its beauty. Suddenly a drop of blood hit the deck, she had accidently sliced her hand with the tip of the sword.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry" said Ariel, taking a cloth and wiping the blood of her sword.

"Its quite all right darling, no need to apologize" said Killian. "Here I have just the thing for that. He took her other hand and led her to his cabin.

He then proceeded to take a bottle of rum from his nightstand. He opened it up and poured some on Ariel's hand.

"Oww" said Ariel. "What is that?"

"Rum. And a bloody waste of it if you ask me" said Killian.

"Then why are you pouring it on my hand?" asked Ariel.

"Because I care more about you then I do the rum" said Killian, taking the cloth from Ariel's hand and starting wrap it around her hand.

He did this in a very sexual and seductive manner, never taking his eyes off of her.

Ariel couldn't help but blush a little. She thanked him once he was done, but they just continued to look into each other's eyes.

She wanted to kiss him but she knew that was not such a good idea. Instead she got up on her tip toes and kissed him on the cheek, as a way of thanking him.

"Come on love you can do better than that" said Killian, taking Ariel's hand pulling her in closer.

"I could, but I don't think I should" said Ariel.

"A challenge, I accept" said Killian. "Mark my words lass, I will make you mine one day" said Killian.

"Well until that day comes, how about a drink?" asked Ariel.

Killian smiled and they headed off to the tavern to meet up with the rest of the crew.


	9. Chapter 9: The Mistake

hook x ariel fanfic: chapter 9

Ariel and Killian entered the tavern, and they found the men sitting at the table drinking up. Killian quickly put a huge smile on his face, happy to see the crew enjoying themselves. He walked over to the table where they sat and said "AH there you are! Where's my beer?"

Ariel followed behind him. She decided to sit on the opposite side of the table, not really wanting to be that close to Killian. His words echoed in her head "mark my words lass, I will make you mine." Ariel wasn't sure what to make of this. What did he mean exactly? Did he just mean that he wanted to sleep with her? That was probably it, that is what he did after all. He just wanted her for the sex, probably for his own satisfaction of knowing that he was able to have her.

Although Ariel knew this probably wasn't the case, part of her hoped that he wanted something more. That he actually wanted a relationship, someone to love, someone to accompany him as he explored and sought new adventures. She wanted to be his Pirate Queen in a way. But she had known Killian long enough to know that he probably wasn't looking for that kind of relationship. It was all fun and games with him.

Ariel was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't realize that the waitress was standing next to her asking her what she wanted to drink.

"Red?" asked Killian. "You ok?"

"Yeah" said Ariel snapping back to reality. "Umm I'll just have uhh… what its called…. what are you drinking?" she asked looking over to the man sitting next to her.

Killian chuckled, he found Ariel's naivety and the fact that she really didn't know anything about the human world quite amusing.

"She'll have a beer please" said Killian.

"Beer right, thank you" said Ariel, smiling at the waitress.

"So Red, don't you think I forgot about that treasure" said Killian, taking a sip of his beer.

"Don't worry, I know you didn't" said Ariel.

"Treasure. So thats why you went through all this trouble to pick little Ariel up" said Vanessa, walking over to Killian, and sitting right next to him.

There was something about Vanessa that Ariel didn't like. Not only did she have this strange feeling that she had met her before, but something about her just seemed ominous, evil. She felt like she was here for a reason, and she was intent on finding what it was.

"So what if he did?" asked Ariel. "What you expect he is a pirate after all. I am just glad he came back at all."

Vanessa raised an eyebrow, curious at Ariel's answer. Killian was also surprised at what Ariel said. What exactly was she doing?

"Well I am just saying I mean the way he talked about you, I just assumed that you were his… girlfriend" said Vanessa, arching an eyebrow at Ariel and giving her a tiny smirk.

"What if I was?" said Ariel, giving Vanessa a smirk of her own.

"Well if you were then nothing to discuss. But you're not, which doesn't surprise me" said Vanessa, as she took Killian's beer from the table and took a sip from it.

"Hey!" said Killian, clearly angry. "Get your own bloody beer!"

"Whats that supposed to mean?" asked Ariel, slightly annoyed at Vanessa's comment, but trying to keep her cool as she did not want Vanessa to see how she was feeling.

Killian just sat back, enjoying the conversation. This was getting interesting he thought.

"Well no offense Ariel but your just some skinny, scrawny child. You know nothing of this world, do you honestly think Killian would be interested in you? Please."

Ariel and Vanessa just stared at each other. Killian decided to break the silence by saying "you know I am right here lass?"

Ariel ordered another beer, this whole conversation with Vanessa was making her anxious and uncomfortable. She figured some alcohol would probably help.

"Yes I do know you are here" said Vanessa, turning over to face Killian. "So why don't you tell us Killian, you interested in Ariel?"

Uh oh thought Killian, looking down at his beer. He could sense everyone staring at him, waiting to see what he would say. He looked up and saw Ariel looking at him. She looked a bit uncomfortable but also eager to hear his answer.

Killian wasn't sure how to answer this. Of course he was interested in Ariel, but he didn't want to admit that to the crew. He had to decide how he was going to play this. He had already expressed his interest to Ariel, surely she knew.

"Well let's just say I am not interested in anyone right now lass" said Killian.

"I am just here to have a good time."

Killian quickly looked over at Ariel and saw a look of disappointment on her face. She probably wanted more, but it is not like they were together. She had clearly shown him that she will not give in easily.

Vanessa saw the disappointment in Ariel's eyes and smiled to herself. This is exactly what she wanted. To finish her off, she took her hand placed it on Killian's chin. She moved his face to face her and she leaned in and kissed him. Killian quickly put his arms around her waist.

Ariel saw this and her heart sank. She didn't know why she was feeling like this, but jealousy took over. She despised Vanessa, she was convinced that she was here to just make her life miserable. As for Killian, she was even angrier at him for kissing her back.

They continued at it for a few minutes and Ariel finally had had enough. "Get a room!" she barked at them, disgusted.

"We shall" said Vanessa, grabbing the collar of Killian's jacket and pulling him up, leading him up the stairs to the private rooms that were available.

Ariel was furious. She decided to order some more beer, content with drowning her sorrows in alcohol. The men just went back to their business, not really paying much attention.

Back upstairs Killian and Vanessa were done with their "business". "Well, that was fun" said Killian, as he put his clothes back on.

"Whats the rush?" asked Vanessa, lying on the bed next to him. "Why don't we just stay here for a bit?"

"You do know its just sex love?" said Killian, buttoning up his shirt. He wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible. He didn't want to be with Vanessa anymore. He was actually a bit surprised that he wasn't satisfied. He thought Vanessa was beautiful but it was just another hook-up. He was getting tired of those. For the first time in his life he wanted something meaningful, it was always so easy for him to just hook up with someone. He wanted more.

He was finished getting dressed and he walked towards the door and down the steps. Downstairs things were louder than usual. The men seemed to be a bit too enthusiastic and he heard someone signing. It was a women, signing some pirate song. She actually had a pretty good voice, but it was obvious whoever it was, they were drunk.

He looked around and finally found the source of the signing. It was Ariel. She was standing on top of the table, smiling, signing, with her mug in her hand.

"Yo ho yo ho a pirate's life for me" sang Ariel. She was dancing around, how ridiculous she looked Killian thought to himself. It was quite amusing though.

When she was finally done, she decided to get down and order another beer.

"No no love" said Killian quickly, walking over to Ariel. "I think you've had quite enough."

"Oh so you're back! Wow that was actually fast" said Ariel, a bit off balance. "Was she that bad mate?"

"Ariel, I think you should get back to the ship" said Killian, taking her hand.

"No no I am perfectly fine right here" said Ariel. "Besides why do you want me to leave, so you can fuck some other wenches here?"

"I don't want you to do anything stupid" said Killian.

"Stupid? HA ahahahah" said Ariel. "Like this?"

She went over to the first guy she could see and took his mug and poured the beer all over him.

"What the bloody hell?!" said the man with clear anger in his voice.

"OH ohohoho sorry mate" said Ariel, laughing. "But I wanted to do something stupid."

"You stupid bitch" said the man as he took his fist and hit Ariel. She fell to the floor, laughing.

"I just got punched in the face" she said.

"OI" said Killian, walking over to help Ariel get up. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he said to the man.

"This your bitch?" asked the man.

"She is not a bitch, she is a lady, and gentleman don't hit ladies" said Killian.

"Well I'm no gentleman, and that ain't no lady" said the man.

"I thought you'd say that" said Killian, getting up and punching the man right in the jaw. They began to fight, punching each other, screaming at each other. Others began to fight each other as well, and pretty soon full blown chaos unfolded.

Holden came over to break up the fight. "Captain Stop!" he said. "We should go."

Killian stared at the man, spitting out some blood and wiping his chin. "Right, let's go."

Holden picked Ariel up, and they all walked out.

Once everyone was on the ship, Killian quickly gave the order for them to set sail. He then took Ariel by the arm and dragged her to his cabin, slamming the door behind him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked angrily.

"What you wanted me to do something stupid so I did" said Ariel.

"Don't be so childish Ariel, you could have gotten yourself killed!" said Killian.

"Over some beer?" said Ariel confused.

Killian sighed. "Those are dangerous men in there Ariel, they are not be underestimated. I once saw a man get beat to death because he said a snarky comment. "

He turned around, his back to Ariel. "Now I suggest you get to sleep, tomorrow we set sail to find this treasure of yours. Ariel?"

He turned around and found Ariel had fallen asleep on his bed.

"All right lass" he said. He took the blanket and covered Ariel, it was a chilly night. He then leaned down and kissed her forehead.


	10. Chapter 10: The Island

The rays of sunlight started to drip through the window, illuminating the room. Killian opened his eyes and stretched his arms. He felt something on his chest; he looked down and saw Ariel's head rested on his chest, her hand placed on his neck. She looked quite comfortable actually, and quite beautiful. There was this innocent look that she had as she was sleeping, but he knew she wasn't as innocent as she may appear. He only wished that the reason she was in his bed was because of a different reason than what actually happened last night. He got up slowly, trying not to wake her up, but he did.

She started to groan and she moved to her side. She then opened her eyes, wincing at the sunlight. She quickly put her hand on her forehead. She had a massive headache. She felt like she had been hit with a 500 pound rock. She also found herself to be very sensitive to the sunlight for some reason, and she felt horrible.

"Morning Sunshine" said Killian, looking down at her as he put his shirt on. "How you feeling?" he asked, knowing what she would say.

Ariel sighed, struggling to get up. "Horrid" she said. "Why does my head hurt so much?"

Killian chuckled.

"Why are you laughing" she asked, confused.

"The reason your head hurts so much my dear little mermaid, is because you are hungover" Killian said, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to her, putting his hand on her cheek.

"Hung...over?" she asked, not knowing what that meant. "But I am not being hung from anything."

Killian chuckled again. "No my dear, hungover is a term we humans use to describe the following morning after someone got drunk."

"Drunk?" she asked, getting tired of this conversation, it was too much effort to try and understand what he was saying.

"Yes you drank too much alcohol last night" said Killian.

She looked around, suddenly realizing that she was in his cabin, lying on his bed. "Why am I in your room?" she asked.

"Well since you were drunk you ummmm tried to get me to sleep with you last night" Killian said, as a smirk formed on his face. "But, since I am a gentleman, I said no, but you fell asleep on my bed so."

"WHAT?!" she asked, surprised and angry at the whole idea. She did not remember any of this, but she was sure she wouldn't have done that, even if she was drunk.

"Relax" Killian said, chuckling again. "I am joking. No you did fall asleep on my bed last night but only because I brought you in to scream at you for what you did last night."

Ariel remained silent for a bit, as she slowly began to remember. "Oh" she finally said.

"Yeah oh" said Killian, more serious now. "You could have gotten yourself killed Ariel, or me for that matter."

"Well I am sorry" said Ariel. "And thank you for saying me I suppose."

"You're welcome. Now get up, we have a big day today. You are finally going to tell me where this treasure of yours is."

"Hmm do I have to?" asked Ariel.

"Yes" said Killian.

"But I'm... what was it called again?"

"Hungover, and I really don't care, we need a heading and time is ticking so... tick tock" said Killian.

Ariel went downstairs, where the rest of the crew slept and opened up her purse. She took out a piece of paper, and then head back up.

Killian was waiting for her up at the upper deck. She went over to him and handed him over the map.

Killian took it and then lowered himself so he was at the same height that Ariel was. He then whispered to her, in a low and seductive voice, "thank you my lady" and then he winked at her.

Ariel just rolled her eyes at him as he went over to take a look at the piece of paper.

He opened it up to find the map of the treasure. It lead to a small island called Isla de Niev. It was a small island, but full of beautiful waterfalls, rain forests and snow covered mountain tops. That was to be there next destination.

"Lovely" said Killian.

"Good morning" said Vanessa as she walked over towards them.

Ariel just stared at her, disgusted. Vanessa had a smirk on her face that said she was up to something. She turned over to Killian, put her hands on his face and kissed him.

Ariel just stared at them, angry, annoyed. She really, really did not lke Vanessa.

Killian was taken a bit by surprise at this. "Good morning lovely" he said, putting a strand of hair behind her ear.

Vanessa smiled, and looked down at the map, interested to see where they were going. "Is that our next destination?" she asked.

"Aye" said Killian.

Ariel decided to leave, not wanting to be around them anymore. Killian immediately noticed her leaving. He saw in her face that she was mad but also disappointed. She was probably jealous he thought. But that meant that she might have feelings for him, and Killian knew that he had feelings for her, but he didn't want to admit it. He didn't want to be with Vanessa, but she seemed like she just wanted to have some fun, nothing more. No harm in that he supposed.

"LAND HO!" shouted Holden, up from the crows nest.

Ariel quickly went to the railing to look out, and she saw the island right there. It was so beautiful. She couldn't wait to set foot on the sand, it had been a while since they had been on land. It took them about 9 days to get to the island.

"Beautiful isn't it?" asked Killian as he walked towards her.

"It sure is" said Ariel, mesmorized by the island. She had never seen anything like it.

"Just like you" said Killian. Ariel turned around after Killian said this, but he was already walking away, ordering his men around. Ariel couldn't help but blush.

"Have you been here before?" asked Ariel.

Killian stopped and turned around to face Ariel. "NO I haven't" he said.

He then walked away. In a few minutes they had reached the shore. The crew got off, and they started walking around, looking around to see what they would find.

Ariel got off last. She was quickly taken away by the beauty of the island. There was so many beautiful palm trees and exotic flowers. The water was clear and blue, the sand white and smooth. It was lovely.

"All right" said Killian, holding the map in his hands. "According to this, we must first head 100 paces due north."

And so they did, taking each step cautiously not knowing what might lie ahead.

They then walked another 200 paces north. By the time they finished it had gotten dark. They decided to camp there for the night, and they would continue their journey in the morning, since they had to climb up the mountain to get to the cave where the treasure was, and they figured it would be best to do that when the sun was out.

The crew settled down and unpacked their stuff. Some went off to find wood for a fire, some went to find some food. Ariel decided to try to get some coconuts she saw up in one of the palm trees. She started to climb the tree, but she just kept falling down. She then decided to take her pocket knife and use it get herself up there. It took her a few tries, but she was able to get herself up there. She then got the coconuts and threw them to the ground, knowing she wouldn't be able to carry them down.

Killian had been keeping an eye on her, in case something happened. Good thing he did, because as she was coming down her foot slipped on the trunk and she fell. Luckily Killian got there just in time to catch her in his arms. She didn't weigh that much so it wasn't a problem.

Ariel gasped as she fell into his arms. She then turned to look at him and thanked him.

"Don't mention it" Killian said. They stared into each other's eyes for a bit until he let her down. "Nice coconuts you got there."

Ariel laughed finding this funny. "Come on let's go eat" she said.

She decided to eat some fruit. Most of the men were eating fish that they were able to get. One of the men actually offered her some fish, but she quickly turned it down. She wasn't going to eat that, no way.

Once they were done, they all sat around the fire, telling stories. Ariel was amazed at all the adventures that the men had had. She could wish that someday she would have stories of her own to tell.

After a while, some of the men started to go to sleep. Killian decided now would be a good time. He walked over to Ariel. "Hey" he said.

"Hey" Ariel said, a bit amused and surprised at the same time.

"You want to see something cool?" he said offering her his hand.

"Sure" she said, taking it. "But I thought you haven't been here before?"

"I haven't" he said. "But I have heard of it before, and I am told that there is something rather magical here."

They walked into the jungle. It was dark, but the moonlight illuminated the way. Killian stopped, he then turned around.

"Close your eyes" he said.

"What? why?" asked Ariel.

"Its a surprise" he said.

She closed her eyes and then she felt his hand touch hers. His touch felt so good. His hands were warm, compared to hers which were always freezing.

She could feel him pulling her slightly, leading the way. "Ok" he said. "Open your eyes."

Ariel opened her eyes. It was beautiful. She saw this small pool of water, glimmering under the moonlight. There was a water fall, exotic flowers surround the pool. She could see these tiny little yellow bugs, that glew in the darkness. In the water she could see the reflection of the moon and the millions of stars.

"It's beautiful" she said.

"I thought you'd like it" said Killian.

Ariel suddenly heard the sound of clothing being dropped to the floor. She turned around and found that Killian was undressing himself.

"What are you doing?!" she asked, surprised.

"What? You think we came here just for the scenery?" he said. Except for his trousers he was completely naked. He ran towards the pool and jumped in, splashing Ariel.

When he emerged from the water he said "Well come on lass, don't just stand there."

"I don't know how to swim" said Ariel.

"Well I can teach you" said Killian. "Or you could take off that necklace and show me what you really look like."

Ariel stood there for a moment. She could let him teach her how to swim, but the truth is she missed her mermaid tail. She missed swimming underwater, her hair flowing. Plus she was kind of afraid she might drown.

"All right then" she said. She took off her belt and boots, and then her pants, her shirt being long enough to cover her bottom. She then sat down on the edge, dipping her legs into the water.

She took a deep breath, and took the necklace off placing it next to her clothes. She then dove into the water, taking her shirt off once she was under. She could feel her legs painfully coming together, her tail reappearing right before her eyes.

She was a mermaid once again. A big smile came to her face as she saw her tail. How she had missed it, how she had missed being in the water.

She started to swim around, happy to feel the water caress her skin once again. Then she remembered that Killian was waiting for her up in the surface. She rose up and saw him standing there.

"Ah there you are" said Killian. "I was afraid you drowned or something. So where is this tail of yours?"

Ariel swam over to the edge of the pool and got herself to sit on the edge. Killian swam over.

"Incredible" he said. "You know I have never been this close to a mermaid before. May I?"

Ariel nodded. He took his hand and ran it through her tail, feeling her slimy, smooth tail.

"You know I didn't think it would be possible but you actually look more lovely as a mermaid" said Killian.

"Thank you... I guess" said Ariel.

They were doing it again, he thought, just staring intently into each other's eyes. But he didn't really want to talk. He decided to lean in and kiss her.

The moment their lips met he could feel that same feeling again, that feeling he got when he first kissed her. It something he had never felt before, but he liked it.

They slowly pulled away from each other, taking a breath. Ariel was taken by surprise, but that didn't mean she didn't want to kiss him. She quickly pressed her lips against his, pulling herself down into the water to meet him. His arms went around her back, as her hands went up to his neck and the back of his head.

It felt so nice to be in his arms, Ariel thought. But wait, she said to herself pulling away. Killian slept with Vanessa, more than once. Why was he kissing her?

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Why are you kissing me?" Ariel asked. She decided she was just going to get straight to the point.

"What do you mean why?" he asked. "I just thought this is a rather romantic setting and I ... I like you so."

"You like me?" asked Ariel, shocked at the fact that he said that. "If you like me then why have you been sleeping with Vanessa this whole time?"

Killian looked at her with surprise; he didn't think she knew about that, besides that one night at the tavern.

"Yeah I know you've been sleeping together Killian, I'm not stupid" she said.

Before Killian could answer, he heard a twig crack to their left. Someone was there, he thought.


	11. Chapter 11: The Stranger

Ariel looked over to see what made that noise. The bushes started to rustle; someone or something was definitely there. Killian pulled Ariel closer, while also taking his sword that he had left on the edge of the pool.

Nothing to fear though it was just a little critter wandering around. Killian and Ariel let out a small sigh.

"I think we should go" said Ariel, pulling away from Killian, swimming over to the edge to pull herself up and put her shirt back on. She then took her necklace, put it back on and watched her tail disappear as her long, lean human legs came back.

Killian just stood there, watching her, thinking about what he could say to make this better. He wanted to tell her how he felt but she seemed to be pretty upset about the whole Vanessa thing. But Vanessa means nothing to him. She had to know that.

"Ariel wait" said Killian, moving towards her.

"Do you... do you care about her?" asked Ariel.

"Of course not" said Killian. "The only one I care about is you Ariel. You and only you. The sex with Vanessa means absolutely nothing, its just sex."

"So sex is meaningless to you then?" asked Ariel.

"Well depends who its with love" said Killian. He was now just inches away from her. "With you, it would be very meaningful, probably the most meaningful I have ever had."

"So you do just want me for my body then" said Ariel.

"Love" Killian said, smiling at her. "I do want you, all of you. You have no idea what I would do to you, but I am hoping you give me the chance to show you." He took her hand and kissed it, and then put his hand on her thigh, moving in closer to whisper in her ear.

"I would make love to you endlessly. I would start by kissing your ear, biting it gently, then slowly moving down your neck, making my way down your body. I would taste you, every inch of you. I would make you feel like you've never felt before, make you scream my name in pleasure." He pulled away, looking intently at Ariel.

Ariel just stared at him not really sure what to say. She didn't really know that much about human sex but it did sound rather fascinating.

"Well" she said finally. "That all sounds very... interesting."

Killian laughed. "But in all seriousness love, I want you for you. I truly do care about you, and I think we can have something special together, if you just let me show you."

"Oh why don't you just kiss him already, you know you want to" said a mysterious voice.

"Who's there?" said Killian, getting out of the pool to get his sword. Ariel got up as well and started to get dressed.

"Relax pirate, I am not going to hurt you" the strange man said. He walked over to them finally revealing himself. He was a tall man in a rather strange outfit. He was wearing black pants and a matching jacket, which looked like a suit. He had a silky purple shirt inside, and a red scarf. He also had this strange top hat on his head. He was actually rather handsome.

"Who are you?" asked Ariel.

"The name's Jefferson" he said, taking off his hat and bowing down before Ariel.

"I'm Ariel nice to meet you" Ariel said, smiling, giving him a little curtsy.

That is one of the things that Killian liked about Ariel, she was always so friendly and nice to everyone, always eager to make a new a friend.

"Well, Jefferson" said Killian, holding up the edge of his sword to Jefferson's neck. "What exactly are you doing here? Spying on us? Are you a pervert?"

"As much as I would love to look at a pirate in his underwear all day" said Jefferson sarcastically "I am here on business."

"What kind of business?" asked Killian, his sword still on his throat.

"Maybe if you would put your sword down he would answer you" Ariel said, looking at Killian.

Killian obeyed, drawing his sword back and going to put his clothes on.

"Thank you" said Jefferson.

"So whats your job then?" asked Ariel.

"For you my lovely I will gladly tell you, I like you. Him... not so much" said Jefferson.

"Ouch" said Killian. "I think I just cried a little inside."

Ariel rolled her eyes at Killian, smiling at him.

"Well you see I am here to find a very rare flower that can only be found on this island. It has the power to heal. Thats my job, I find hard to find objects, and I travel with my hat." he explained.

"Your hat?" Ariel asked, very interested and curious.

"Yes you see my hat has magical powers" said Jefferson. "It lets me travel not only to anywhere I want in this world, but to many other worlds."

"You've been to other worlds?" asked Ariel, fascinated.

"Plenty my dear" said Jefferson.

"All right well, thats all quite dandy, but we should get going" said Killian.

"Wait" said Ariel. "Jefferson we can help you find this flower, right Killian?"

"Let's not" said Killian.

"Aww come on it will be fun" said Ariel.

"We need our sleep, we have quite the climb tomorrow" said Killian.

"I appreciate your help Ariel, but iits quite all right we wouldn't want to get the pirate upset" said Jefferson. "Besides it is rather late I think I'll just stay here for the night."

"Oh no you should stay with us, with the crew" said Ariel, taking Jefferson's hand and leading him to their campsite.

"I really don't want to be a bother" said Jefferson.

"Its not bother at all" said Ariel.

"Is it all right with the pirate?" asked Jefferson.

"Killian won't mind" said Ariel.

"Sure lets just have one big sleepover" said Killian, as he stood there watching Ariel and Jefferson walk away.

When they got to their campsite they were in for a big surprise. Everyone was gone. The fire was still burning, blankets were on the floor, pots and pans and food all over the place, but there was no one there.

"What the bloody hell happen here?" asked Killian looking around.

"Oh it looks like they found you" said Jefferson.

"What you talking about? Who?" asked Killian.

"The Natives of course. You didn't think you were alone here did you?" asked Jefferson.

Suddenly an arrow shot right past Killian's face, landing in a nearby tree.

Killian quickly took his sword out. "I wouldn't do that if I were you" said Jefferson, putting his hands up in the air.

"And why not?" asked Killian a bit annoyed.

"They respond to hostility. I suggest you put it down" said Jefferson.

Killian slowly let his sword drop as the natives approached them, closing in on them.

Suddenly a small dart pierced Killian's neck, putting him to sleep as he fell to the ground.

"Killian!" Ariel screamed, terrified that he was dead.

"Oh boy he's done it now" said Jefferson.

"What do you mean?" said Ariel, leaning down to see if Killian was alive.

"Well that dart contains a very powerful sedative. They just knocked him out cold. They will probably do the same to us and then take us to their camp site" explained Jefferson.

And he was right, as two more darts hit Jefferson and Ariel in the neck.

The natives tied them up to some poles and carried them away.

Hours later they started to wake up. It was about noon. Ariel looked around and saw that they were tied to these big long poles made of wood. The whole crew was there too. The Natives had a fire going and they were all in a circle doing some sort of dance.

She noticed Jefferson was starting to wake up. "Pst... pst" whispered Ariel. "Jefferson! Jefferson!"

"Huh?" said Jefferson.

"What are they doing?" asked Ariel.

Jefferson looked over and saw the Natives. "Oh... yeah... I think they might kill us."

"What?!" said Ariel, scared.

"Yeah I don't think that fire is to keep us warm" said Jefferson.

Suddenly everyone stopped. The Chief started to walk towards them. He was a tall man with long black hair, and a lot of paint on his body. Must have been some religious symbols or something.

"I'll handle this" said Jefferson. "Hello my good chief. How are you?"

The Chief just stared down at Jefferson.

"There is no need to kill us good sir, we are just passer-byers, we are not here to harm your people or your land."

The Chief moved his head to the left, motioning of the Natives to take Jefferson over to the fire.

"NO please stop" said Ariel. "We are not here to hurt you."

"Father Stop!" said a woman from behind. She was a tall woman, with long black flowing hair, full lips. She had this tattoo on her arm, it encircled her entire arm. She also had this blue necklace with a rock pendant.

"Pocahontas what are you doing?" asked the Chief. "These people have invaded our land! They must be stopped."

"Killing them is not the answer" said Pocahontas. "You heard the man, they won't harm us." She went over to Jefferson and started to untie him.

"They are strangers Pocahontas, pale-faces, we can't trust them" said the Chief.

"Umm excuse me?" said Ariel. "Hi ummm we won't hurt you sir I swear. Jefferson over there is just here to get a flower and umm the rest of the men and myself we are just here to ummm well you see we were rather hoping to climb up the mountain and ummm find the treasure that is there."

"Treasure?" said the Chief. He stood there for a moment, pondering. "You don't want to hurt us then?"

"No sir" said Ariel. "We are just here for the treasure, and once we have it we will be on our way."

"Very well" said the Chief. "Cut them down."

The Natives went over to cut down every member of the crew. Finally they were free.

"You may go" said the Chief.

"Thank you" said Ariel, smiling at the chief and giving him a small bow. "And thank you Ms. Pocahontas."

Pocahontas gave Ariel a friendly smile.

Ariel went over to Jefferson to help him up. Then she noticed that she hadn't hurt anything from Killian. She turned around and saw that he was still unconscious.

"Wait" said Ariel. "Why hasn't Killian woken up?"

Pocahontas went over to Killian and noticed that Killian had been shot with two darts. "He should wake up soon. He was shot with two darts so it will take longer for him to wake up. You may stay here until he does if you wish."

"Thank you" said Ariel.

It was a few hours later but Killian finally woke up. The first thing he saw was Ariel's face, her eyes looking into his. She had his head on her lap, her fingers running through his hair.

"Well this is a nice way to wake up" said Killian, smiling at Ariel.

"I was starting to worry, I thought you wouldn't wake up at all" said Ariel.

Killian just smiled. He then decided to get up, and he noticed the Natives everywhere, along with his crew. He then remembered what had happened last night. He quickly felt scared, threatened, like they were in danger.

Ariel noticed this, and so she got up and placed her hand on Killian's chest.

"killian its all right. They won't hurt us. They let us go actually. They are very nice people" Ariel said.

"OH?" asked Killian, a bit confused.

"Its all right Captain" said Holden, walking over towards them. "We can continue our journey.

"You must be Mr. Jones" said Pocahontas, walking over to them.

"And you are?" asked Killian.

"This is Pocahontas, the Chief's daughter. She saved us" said Ariel.

"Ah well many thanks my lady" Killian said, bowing down to Pocahontas. "Well we better get going, there is a lot of mountain to climb."

They said their goodbyes and started to head towards the mountain. Suddenly Ariel noticed that something seemed off, like something was missing. She looked around at the men and noticed that someone was missing. Vanessa. She wasn't there.

"Killian?" asked Ariel.

"Yes love?" said Killian.

"Have you noticed that a certain someone appears to not be here?" said Ariel.

"The crazy guy with the top hat?" asked Killian, stopping and turning around to face Ariel.

"Hey?!" said Jefferson, a bit annoyed.

"No... Vanessa" said Ariel.

"Vanessa?" Killian said. He had completely forgotten about her. "Well good riddance then."

They paid no more attention to this and just continued to head up the mountain. It was getting very cold, snow was falling as they got higher and higher. There was a path that they were following.

Killian could hear some teeth clattering behind him, and he saw that Ariel was shivering. He decided to take off his leather jacket and place it on her shoulders. He then placed his arm around her, hoping that his body heat would give her some warmth. It took them about four hours to climb up the mountain, but they finally found the cave that they were looking for. They went in, cautiously, not knowing what they might find inside.

After a few minutes of walking, they reached this large, wide open space inside the cave. It was filled with the treasure they were seeking. Gold coins, jewels, everything a pirate could ever want.

"Here it is boys!" Killian said, with a big wide smile on his face.

The crew quickly went over to the treasure, acting like little children during Christmas. Ariel just stood and watched, amused at how her pirate friends were acting.

She noticed Killian walked over to a pile of golden coins. He took one in his hand and placed it up to his nose, taking in its smell.

Ariel couldn't help but chuckle. She liked how his eyebrow arched at the sweet smell of gold.

"What?" he said looking over at her.

"You're smelling a piece of gold, its rather amusing" Ariel said.

"Well come on lass, why don't you give it a wiff?" said Killian, taking the coin over to her.

"I think I'll pass mate" said Ariel, playfully pushing the coin away from her face.

"Aww come on, one of the things we pirates enjoy is smelling gold" said Killian.

"Actually mate, thats just you, cause you're weird" said a man's voice.

Ariel didn't recognize it, she thought it might have been Jefferson at first but she saw Jefferson over by a pile of jewels. It was someone else.

Killian and Ariel both turned around to see a man standing right there, a pirate it seemed. He had a red scarf over his forehead, long brown dreadlocks, and this string of beads handing from his scarf with a silver coin at the end. He had a hat on as well, he was probably a captain Ariel thought to herself. He had a long black coat and a white shirt, blue pants and brown boots.

"Well, if it isn't Jack Sparrow" said Killian.

"There should be a Captain in there somewhere" said Sparrow.

"Last I heard you lost the Pearl, again" said Killian. "So a Captain without a ship, is not Captain at all. What are you doing here?"

"Same reason you're here mate" he said as his eyes light up with a smile. "Treasure!"

"How did you even get here?" asked Killian.

"With my dingy mate" said Jack.

"Dingy?" asked Ariel, confused.

Jack looked over at the redhead. He hadn't noticed her actually, but he didn't see how he hadn't, she was beautiful.

"Its a small boat love" said Jack. "Killian... is this your significant other?" he asked turning to him.

"No... well she could be" said Killian, looking over at Ariel and winking at her.

Yes, Ariel thought to herself. Perhaps she could be.


	12. Chapter 12: I love her

"Oh... so if she's not your significant other," said Sparrow, really putting emphasis on the words "significant other", "then she must be your pirate wench!"

Ariel quickly shot a dirty look to Sparrow, not pleased with what he was saying. Pirate wench, psh. Ariel quickly dismissed the idea.

"No she's not" said Killian.

"So... why is she here?" asked Jack.

"I'm part of the crew!" Ariel quickly said, defending herself.

Jack looked at her for a few seconds before bursting out laughing.

"Part of the crew" he said pointing at her and laughing. "That's too good mate."

"You'll have to excuse Jack Ariel, he's a bit backwards" said Killian, giving Jack his signature smirk.

"Hahah" said Jack. He then turned around and shifted his attention to a big chest full of gold coins.

"So fish see anything you like?" asked Killian turning to Ariel.

Ariel looked around. There was so much treasure. "I don't really want anything" she said.

Killian chuckled to himself. "Lesson #1 in being a pirate my dear, we love treasure. So when we find it, it is customary to take it."

He walked over to a pile of jewels and looked around. He found a small emerald earring. The hoop was gold and then it had a small emerald in the shape of a teardrop dangling from it. "Ah here we go. This would look lovely with your eyes" he said holding it next to her face.

"Its lovely" said Ariel. "There is just one tiny problem."

"Whats that love?" asked Killian.

"I don't have pierced ears" said Ariel, pushing her hair behind her ears so he could see.

"Ah thats not a problem at all" said Killian. "Smith!" he called out.

One of the crew members came over. He was a heavy, tall man with a big brown beard and brown hair. He was going bald, but that's why he usually wore his hat.

"Aye captain?" he asked.

"I need your needle" said Killian, putting out his hand.

Smith took out a small silver needle from the pouch in his belt and handed it over to Killian.

Ariel's eyes immediately grew wider as she saw what Killian was going to do.

"I don't really... thats not necessary" said Ariel, starting to back away slowly.

"Come onlove, it won't hurt... much" said Killian.

"I rather, I rather keep my ears the way they are... thanks" said Ariel.

Killian still kept walking towards her. "Afraid are we?" he said, giving her a smirk.

"I am not afraid!" said Ariel.

"Then prove it" he said.

Ariel didn't want to get her ear pierced, she knew it was going to hurt a lot. But she didn't want to be seen as a coward, not here. It really wasn't a big deal, was it?

"Fine" she said, closing her eyes.

Killian got closer, took the needle and quickly dug it into her ear, making a hole.

Ariel felt the pain throughout her body. She tried not to scream, biting down on her teeth. She could feel the blood starting to flow out of her ear. Killian took a handkerchief and pressed it down on her ear to gather the blood. After a bit, it stopped bleeding. He then took the earring and placed it in the hole.

"That's a good girl" he said, stepping back to admire it. "Now we match" he said.

Ariel smiled, playing with her new earring. She then looked at the earring Killian had on his left ear. It was similar to hers, except it was silver with a light blue rock on it.

"Thank you" she said.

"No problem" Killian said, winking at Ariel.

Ariel rolled her eyes, still smiling at him. That wink of his, every time he winked at her she could feel herself melt a little inside.

He proceeded to continue to examine the treasure. He found a pearl necklace and he immediately looked over at Ariel.

"This would also look perfect on you" he said, walking over towards her.

"So are you here to give me fashion advice then?" asked Ariel.

Killian smiled, and then twirled his finger around, signaling her to turn around.

She obeyed, turning around, and lifting her long red hair from her neck. Killian took the necklace and placed it on her neck.

Ariel let her hair down, and looked down at the necklace. "Its beautiful" she said.

"Just like you" Killian said, leaning in next to her ear, whispering to her. He then took some of her hair off of her shoulder, and started to kiss her neck. Ariel started to get butterflies in her stomach. She liked the feeling of his lips on her skin, but she knew what he was trying to do and she wasn't going to give in.

She pulled away and turned around. "So... umm how about we umm..." she started to say, but instead she just decided to walk away.

Killian sighed, disappointed. How much longer was he supposed to wait.

Jack walked over to Ariel, noticing the sword she had on her.

"Thats a nice sword mate" he said, standing next to her.

"Thanks" Ariel said. "Killian gave it to me."

"Did he now" said Jack, a bit curious. He winced his eyes a little bit, looking around. "Do you know how to use it?"

"Are you looking for a fight Mr. Sparrow?" asked Ariel.

"Well if your willing" he said, drawing his sword.

"I accept" said Ariel, drawing her sword to meet his.

They had a friendly little duel, metal clashing on metal. Jack was clearly a very skilled sword fighter, but to his surprise Ariel held her own. All that practice with Charming seemed to have payed off.

Once they were done, Killian walked over to them, taking out his sword and crossing it with Ariel.

Ariel got a little nervous. She had seen sword fight with the crew before, and although it was always just for fun, she knew that he was really good, probably the best of any of them.

Killian gave Ariel a smirk, waiting to see if she would accept his challenge. He looked confident and poised, thinking he would win easily.

Ariel wanted to at least show him that she could beat him.

So she crossed her sword with him and they began, back and forth, back and forth their swords went.

"Good form" said Killian. He took her leg with his and made her fall on her back. "But not good enough."

He took his sword and slid it down her sword to meet her. She tried to get up, but he had her pinned down. She could hear the snickers of the crew watching them.

"You know Ariel" he said. "As you might know, normally I enjoy doing more pleasurable things with women on their back."

"Yes I know" said Ariel.

"But seeing as you just keep rejecting me, a sword fight seemed more fun" said Killian, smiling. "However, when I jab you with my sword, and I will, you will feel it."

Ariel looked at him a bit confused. What exactly was he trying to say.

Killian chuckled, knowing she probably wouldn't know what he was talking about.

"Your confused I am sure" said Killain. He leaned down to her ear and whispered "perhaps you will let me show you what I mean tonight."

"Maybe you should stop trying to get me to sleep with you and focus on more important matters" said Ariel, a bit annoyed.

Killian got up, looking down at Ariel.

"You know Ariel, I could have gotten what I wanted from you the day we met, but I didn't, because I like to of myself as a gentleman" said Killian, in a serious tone, taking his sword and lifting her chin with it. "However, my patience is running out."

"You don't say?" Ariel said, clearly angry at him now. "So that whole 'OH i care about you' was a bunch of crap wasn't it?"

Killian stared down at Ariel. "Eh" he said.

Ariel pushed his sword away from her face and got up. "So what your telling me is that if I don't give myself up to you, you will force yourself on me then? Is that it?"

"All I am saying is that I could have forced myself on you, but I didn't" said Killian. "Besides once I start, I don't think I will have to force myself anymore."

"So you've done this before? Raped women?" asked Ariel, crossing her arms.

"Rape is a strong word" said Killian. "Besides I am a pirate, what do you expect."

Ariel suddenly was disgusted at Killian, but she didn't believe him. "I don't believe you" she said. "Just because you're a pirate, doesn't mean you have to do certain things pirates are supposed to do. I know why you haven't forced yourself on me."

"I thought I just told you why" said Killian, a bit confused.

Ariel shaked her head. "No, you're lying. You didn't force yourself upon me, because you haven't done it before. You may be a pirate, but you have a code. You didn't force yourself on me because you never did it to anyone, you only say that you did because you don't want to look any less of a man in front of your crew. You are just trying to intimidate me, and make everyone know that you are the dominant party here."

"Is that so mermaid?" asked Killian.

"Yes" she said.

He decided to lean in and kiss her. He forced his lips upon hers, taking Ariel by surprise. She pulled away after a few seconds, slapping Killian in the face.

Killian touched his cheek and looked dangerously at Ariel. He did not like this at all.

He grabbed Ariel by the shoulder and pinned her up against the wall of the cave.

"You listen to me now" said Killian. "No one talks to me like that. And I do not appreciate being slapped."

Ariel looked at Killian, clearly angry. "I do not appreciate being grabbed like this" she told him.

Killian stared at her for a bit, furious. How dare she talk like this to him? But he was also more frustrated with himself. He was having trouble accepting and processing these feelings that he was having for her.

He let her go, and she stared at him angrily before walking out of the cave into the cold. Ariel was furious as well, what the hell was that she thought to herself. One moment he is trying to kiss her and then he gets all furious. She decided to sit down on a rock nearby, out in the cold, collecting her thoughts.

She was really angry, so in order to try and calm herself down, she took out a note pad and a pencil she had in her purse and started to draw whatever she could find around her.

She looked out and saw a bunch of pine trees in the mountains, and decided to draw that. Drawing was one of Ariel's passions, something that always made her feel better. Besides her dad and sisters, and Flounder of course, no one really knew she liked to draw. Everyone in her kingdom knew she had a beautiful voice, but not that she also had other artistic skills.

"All right boys, gather what you want, its time to leave" said Killian, grabbing as much gold and jewels as he could.

The men started to walk out of the cave, carrying their treasures. Ariel tried to not pay attention to them, getting lost in her drawing. Killian walked out and noticed Ariel sitting on the rock. He wanted to go over there and apologize but he decided to just leave her alone.

"We'll be at the ship when you're done" he said.

Ariel just continued with her drawing, not really bothering to acknowledge what the Captain said.

After a few minutes the men where gathering the last of the treasure. Suddenly though, the earth began to shake. Everyone stopped what they were doing, not knowing what was going on. Ariel put her stuff away and got up. The quake lasted for a few seconds but it certainly was scary. It was time to go she thought.

"Where's Killian?" she asked, walking over to Holden.

"He's at the ship I think" he said. "Come on we better go."

The ground started to shake again, and again. It wasn't an earthquake then, Ariel thought to herself, it had to be something else.

She tried to remember what exactly she knew about this place from what her father told her when she was younger. Suddenly it came to her, there where rumors that a giant snow monster lived up here in the mountains.

Ariel hoped that this wasn't the case, but there it was in the distance, running towards them, the snow monster!

"Run!" she cried out to everyone. They started to run off, some of the men staying behind with their swords thinking they could take on the monster, but as it got closer they realized that was a lost cause.

They all ran down the mountain as fast as they could trying hard to get back to the ship. The monster was getting closer and closer until finally it reached them. It took its hand, reached down and grabbed Ariel. Ariel struggled, being squeezed tightly by the monster, trying to set herself free. The men just stood there watching as she was being taken away. Some of them tried to stab the monster with their sword but it was no use.

"Go" Ariel screamed. "Save yourselves!"

The men decided to obey, not wanting to become victims of the monster. They didn't want to leave Ariel, but they didn't really know how to defeat this humongous creature.

They finally reached the ship, screaming, scared, panting.

"Where's Ariel?" asked Killian. "And why are you all so scared? Did you come across a little reindeer?"

"No... Captain" said Holden, trying to catch his breath. "There is this, huge monster, up in the mountains. It... it got Ariel."

Killian's eyes widened. "What do you mean it got Ariel? Did it kill her?"

"No sir" said Holden. "It just grabbed her and took her away."

"Captain what are we going to do?" asked one of the other crew members.

"We have to go save her!" he said immediately, not even thinking it over. He wasn't sure how they were going to defeat this monster, but he knew he couldn't leave her, even if it meant risking his own life. That was the moment he realized he truly did love her. He would gladly give his life to save her. He had to!

"But captain how are we supposed to kill this monster?" asked the men.

"I don't know, but we have to get her back" said Killian.


	13. Chapter 13: The Rescue

The Monster brought Ariel back to its cave. It was big and dark and cold, snow kept falling outside. To Ariel's surprise the monster just set her down on the ground and then walked into the abyss of the cave, just sitting there, not really doing anything.

Ariel was very confused. Why did this monster capture her and then just place her here? Suddenly, she heard a familiar voice coming from the darkness. She walked over to the voice and found Jefferson, sitting there on the ground, playing with his hat.

"Jefferson" said Ariel. "What are you doing here?"

"Well" said Jefferson, pondering for a moment. "Like you, Ariel" he said as he raised his hand towards her "I have been captured."

"What are we going to do?" asked Ariel.

"Don't worry, I am sure your little pirate friend will come save you" he said.

"Killian?" she asked. "I doubt it. He showed me his true colors today. This is the perfect opportunity to get rid of me, he isn't coming." Ariel looked down at the snow, a sad and disappointed look showing on her face.

"What the whole sword fight thing?" Jefferson said, chuckling to himself.

Ariel looked over at him, wondering why he was laughing.

"My dear Ariel" he said. "Mr. Jones is a pirate. He doesn't know any better. He cares about you I know he does. He just has a tough time showing it."

Ariel thought about this. She didn't really think that Killian cared about her, I mean he looked like he was going to kill her earlier. Yes he probably has anger issues, but still. Ariel didn't really want to think about this anymore, so she decided to change the subject.

"What kind of monster takes people and then just puts them on the ground and leaves though?" asked Ariel, still curious.

"Well... I think this monster might be owned by someone" said Jefferson, getting up.

"Owned?" said Ariel, confused.

"Yes" said Jefferson. "I have heard stories of this monster. That it takes people for its owner and then the owner kills them or does whatever he or she wants with them."

"That is almost true, but not quite" said this mysterious voice. Ariel and Jefferson looked over and saw this white light shinning. And then, as it got closer, they saw that it was a women, tall, lean and beautiful. She looked like an angel. She had long, curly, blonde hair, skin as white as the snow, light blue eyes, and this long flowing white dress. It was almost as if she was the Queen of Winter.

"Who are you?" asked Ariel.

"My name is Ravenna" she said.

"What do you want with us?" Ariel asked.

"With him...I don't really need anything. It just gets lonely here sometimes. But with you my dear child, I need your heart" she said in a very low and menacing voice.

Ariel's eyes widened. "My heart?" she asked.

"Yes" Ravenna said, walking over towards Ariel, circling around her, examining her. "You see my child, I posses true beauty, but in order to keep myself young and beautiful forever, I need the heart of someone like you. Someone beautiful and young. That is the only way I can survive. And you wouldn't want me to die now would you?"

"Well aren't you honest?" said Ariel, a bit sarcastically.

"I don't like to play games" she said. She was now standing right in front of Ariel, and she placed her hand over where her heart was.

"Wait" said Ariel. "Before you umm, take my heart, I was just umm wondering, someone as beautiful and grand as you, why are you stuck in this cave, in this practically deserted island? I mean you look like you would be a Queen somewhere, like you should be a Queen."

Ariel was trying to stall, distract Ravenna from taking her heart, while she tried to find a way to get out of this.

"I was a Queen, once, a long time ago" she said, with her hand still over Ariel's heart. "But I was overthrown."

"Really, someone as powerful as you?" asked Ariel.

"Well, it seems there is always someone a bit more powerful. I was banished here, to this world. I've been trying to find a way back since. So I have stayed here, I made this monster my own, he has been my only friend."

"I can help you" said Jefferson, walking towards them.

Ravenna turned her attention over to him, interested. "How?" she asked.

"My hat" he said, taking it off and showing it to her. "It can transport people from one magical real to another."

She quickly raised her hand, and Jefferson was lifted off the ground. She then motioned to move him over to the wall of the cave, and he crashed against the wall. Ravenna's eyes filled with lust. Ariel took this opportunity to try and find some sort of weapon. She didn't have her sword, Killian had taken it after their little "duel".

Jefferson saw that Ariel was desperately looking for a weapon, so he continued to stall, distracting Ravenna.

Ariel finally found a icicle on the floor, very hard and pointy. This should do she thought. She then slowly walked over to Ravenna and drove the icicle right through her back.

She let out a small groan, and quickly turned around to face Ariel. She took the icicle out of her back and then grabbed Ariel around the neck with one hand, choking her.

"Foolish child" she said, placing her hand over her heart again. She then began to slowly take her heart. Ariel could feel her heart being ripped apart, being consumed by Ravenna. Tears started to fall down her face, and she started to lose oxygen.

"STOP" someone from outside of the cave said. Ravenna looked over, and saw that a bunch of pirates where coming towards her.

She let Ariel go and she fell to the ground trying to gasp for breathe.

Jefferson went over to see if she was ok. Ravenna whistled and then disappeared into a pouf of black smoke, but the monster got up and started going towards the pirates.

Ariel looked up and saw that is was Killian and his crew. He had come to save her.

The men were fighting the monster, throwing their swords at it, trying to kill it.

"Stop" Ariel cried, running towards them.

Killian saw Ariel, and he was relieved to see that she was ok. He quickly ran over to her and embraced her, putting his arms around her.

Ariel was taken by surprise at this.

"Oh Ariel thank god you're all right" he said.

"Yeah" she said pulling away, looking into his beautiful blue eyes. "You came for me."

"Of course I did love, did you think I wouldn't?" Killian said, a bit surprised.

"I..." she started to say, tears rolling down her cheek. "I... I thought you would leave me here."

"Ariel..." Killian said, putting his hand on her cheek, wiping away the tears. "I would never leave you."

Ariel smiled as Killian leaned in and kissed her passionately. Ariel began to kiss him passionately as well, allowing herself to drown in the moment, putting her arms around his neck.

"OI" said one of the men, as Ariel and Killian broke away from their kiss, but still looked at each other. "This is a touching reunion, but we still have the matter of the monster Captain."

"Don't kill it" Ariel said quickly.

"What?" asked the man.

"Please don't harm it" she said.

"But love, this creature took you away" said Killian, confused.

"But it didn't kill us" said Ariel. "Ravenna is the one we need to worry about. If you don't harm him, he won't hurt you."

Killian told his men to stop fighting, and with that the monster stopped attacking them. He just stood there, towering over them.

Suddenly Ravenna appeared again. "Smart girl" she said. She then noticed Killian and turned her attention towards him.

"Handsome man" she said, walking towards you. "There was a time I would have given my heart to a man like you, and no doubt you would have broken it. Take note child, men cannot be trusted, especially not pirates."

"However... there is still the matter of your heart" said Ravenna, turning towards Ariel.

"NO" said Jefferson. "Please don't take her heart. Look I will take you back to your world, just don't kill her."

Ravenna looked over to the other side of the cave, the part of the cave that was the darkest. She then saw someone walking towards her. It was Vanessa.

"Ravenna, I am going to have to ask you to take the gentleman's offer" she said.

"But I need her heart" said Ravenna, angrily.

"And I need her alive" Vanessa said. "There is a young girl about a mile from here, you can take her heart. I need Ariel alive."

"Fine" said Ravenna. Vanessa then disappeared.

Ravenna then turned back to face Ariel and the others. She saw that they all looked confused. They probably thought she was crazy since she was talking to herself. But she wasn't. Vanessa really was there, but she made sure that only Ravenna could see her.

"Very well, I will spare your life. You..." she said pointing to Jefferson. "I need to make a little stop before we leave. Come." she said, walking out.

"Well I guess this is goodbye" Jefferson said to Ariel.

Ariel went over and gave Jefferson a big hug. "Thank you" she said.

Jefferson hugged her back.

"Will I ever see you again?" asked Ariel, pulling away.

"I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of each other" Jefferson said smiling.

"I am waiting" said Ravenna, angrily.

"I better go" Jefferson said. He said his final goodbyes and left.

"Well I guess we better get going as well" said Killian. "Come love."

They all walked back to the ship, Killian and Ariel holding hands.

They got on the ship and Killian started to give his orders to the men. As they were raising the anchor though, the earth started to shake, the waves were coming down hard. Suddenly, King Triton himself appeared.

"ARIEL" he said in his very firm, angry tone.

"Dad?!" Ariel asked, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"So this is what you have been doing? This is why I gave you legs? So you could run off and become a scoundrel and almost get yourself killed?" he said.

"Dad please you don't understand" said Ariel.

"Don't you remember what happened the last time? Do you not remember what happened to your mother?" he asked.

"Dad please" said Ariel.

"Umm excuse me your highness, sir" said Killian interrupting.

Triton looked down at Killian.

"What do you want Pirate?" asked Triton.

"Sir... your highness I can understand your concern, but I can assure you, that Ariel is in good hands. I deeply care about your daughter sir, and I will make sure that nothing ever happens to her" he said.

"Dad please I promise I will be safe" said Ariel. "I don't think I have to remind you what happened the last time you tried to stop me."

Triton spent a few seconds looking at his daughter. He almost lost her once, he didn't want to lose her again. But he also knew that this is what she wanted, and death wasn't the only way he could lose his daughter.

"Very well Ariel, but stay safe" he said. "I love you."

"I love you too" Ariel said. She walked over to her father and gave him a big hug.

Triton then turned his attention to Killian. "You better take good care of my little girl."

"Don't worry I will" Killian said, looking over at Ariel.

Triton then disappeared into the ocean.

"Well your father seems lovely" said Killian.

Ariel just smiled at Killian. And with that they sailed off to their next destination.

That night, Killian found himself lying awake in his bed. He couldn't seem to fall asleep. He couldn't seem to shake away this notion that he wanted Ariel to sleep with him. Not sleep sleep with him, but just be with him in his bed. He just wanted her to be close, where he could watch over her. He wanted her cold body next to his, he wanted to run his fingers through her long, red hair. He wanted to feel her body on his.

Suddenly, he heard a voice outside. Someone was signing. It was a soft, angelic-like voice.

He got up and walked out of his cabin. He then saw Ariel, leaning on the railing, singing. She was singing this old sailor song.

My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold,

There is nothing that can console me but my jolly sailor bold.

Come all you pretty fair maids, whoever you may be Who love a jolly sailor bold that ploughs the raging sea.

My heart is pierced by Cupid, I disdain all glittering gold,

There is nothing that can console me but my jolly sailor bold.

"Wow I didn't know you could sing" he said, walking towards her. "You have a lovely voice love."

"Thanks" Ariel said. "Did I wake you?"

"No I couldn't really fall asleep. You?"

"No" she said.

"So why that particular song?" he asked, curiously.

"Well... I suppose I have found my jolly sailor bold after all" Ariel said, smiling at him.

Killian smiled. Hearing her say those words really meant a lot to him.

"So you feel the same way then love" he said, pushing a strand of hair back from her face.

"Yes" she said. She raised herself a bit on her tip toes to kiss him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he put his hands on her lower back. They started to kiss slowly and then got more passionate as they went on.

After a bit, Ariel pulled away slowly, taking in a deep breathe, leaning her head against his.

"What's wrong love?" Killian asked, pulling her closer.

"I just wanted to leave you wanting more" Ariel said, in a bit of a seductive voice.

"Oh love, you will be the ruin of me" Killian said, chuckling.

"Besides, I kind of wanted us to just chat, get to know each other more" she said.

"Good idea love" Killian said. "You can start by telling me what your father meant when he said "remember what happened the last time? And what happened to your mother?"

Ariel pulled away, turning her back to Killian. She didn't really want to talk about what had happened, it was such a dark and sad time in her life. But she wanted to tell him everything, she wanted him to know.

Thanks so much for all the support guys:) I really enjoy writing this all for you:) Hope you like this chapter; feel free to leave any comments.

Lyrics for the song are from the "My Jolly Sailor Bold" song from Pirates of the Caribbean.

(I do not own any of these characters.)


	14. Chapter 14: Tell me about yourself

She continued to pace around the ship, unsure of what to do. Her heart started to pound faster, as her pace quickened. She had never really talked about this to anyone, besides her father, not even her best friend Flounder. It always made her sad to think about that day.

Killian noticed her change in mood, and decided to try and calm her down, wanting very much to know what it was she was hiding. He walked over to her and place his hands on her shoulders, assuring her that everything was all right.

He noticed that she was trembling for it was a bit chilly outside. He also noticed that the clouds in the sky were beginning to descend, covering up the moon and the stars.

"Ariel why don't we go to my cabin? I feel as if it might start to rain" he said, looking up at the sky.

Ariel chuckled "Is this one of your plots to get me to your bed?" she asked jokingly.

Killian chuckled and said "Well only if you want it to. Come." he said taking her hand and leading her to his cabin.

It was dark, the bed was in the center of the room, neatly made. At the far end was a large wooden desk, filled with maps of their world, a couple of bottles of rum and a telescope. He quickly lighted a few candles to give them some light. Ariel sat at the edge of the bed, still trembling. Killian took off his jacket and put it over her shoulders. He then sat next to her in the bed, a few inches away, giving her some space.

Ariel let out a deep sigh, and decided to just let it all out.

"Well... I was nine when my mother was taken from us" she began. "It was just a normal, like any other day in the kingdom. I was with her gathering some seaweed when we saw a ship in the distance. She would always tell us stories about ships and pirates, humans, land, all that stuff. My sisters, they never really cared much for her stories, but I was always fascinated by them. Stories of all these different lands just waiting to be explored, and I knew that I wanted to go there someday. So I begged my mother to take me to see this ship up close. She told me that it was dangerous but I really wanted to see it so I just went off by myself, and she went after me, protecting me. We got there and it was magnificent. I went to the surface for the first time in my life and I could just see the sky and the sun and the ship was there and all the men were just in the deck going about their business and they just looked like fascinating creatures. So after a bit we were starting to head back, diving back into the water when this net fell on top of both of us, entrapping us. My mother tried to break free off it but it was just too strong to cut through. The net was hoisted up, the water leaving us and we just squirming there, trying to get out. Finally the net was dropped and we fell onto the ship, and all the humans just stood around us, looking at us, laughing, mocking us. They took the net off of us but then they took my mother and..." she paused, tears starting to roll down her eyes. Just as she started to cry the rain outside started to poor down, the thunder rumbling in the distance. She took a deep breath while closing her eyes and continued. "They started beating her as they laughed. They just... they said they were going to skin her, they wanted her tail to use the skin to sell it. They just kept beating her and they just threw her on the ground, and they started cutting off her tail. At first they were just cutting off the skin, but then they just took this big sword and just cut it off. Her blood just started to spill everywhere, and she was gasping for breathe trying to stay alive. And I was just there, trying to get to her but they held me back. I watched as she took her final breathes, and she mouthed the words "I love you" and she then she just stopped breathing and I could see the light leave her eyes. And I just started to scream and cry and just I started to desperately just try to get away from these monsters, pushing away, trying to crawl to her. And they just... they just grabbed my tail and dragged me back, and they started to hit me as well. They just grabbed me and touched me and then they started to cut off some of the skin on my tail. I would have been killed too if it wasn't for the fact that my father came, causing this huge storm. The rain poured down, the thunder roared, and they just took my mother's body and they just threw it away like she meant nothing, like she was just a piece of trash. My father was furious and filled with anger, and darkness inside. He killed everyone on the ship, he left none alive. I watched as he raised the waves and crushed them against the ship, sinking it, bringing it down to the depths of the ocean, drowning everyone on board. And then we just went home he literally didn't talk to me for days, he couldn't even look at me. I am sure he blamed me for what happened, because I blame myself. If I hadn't been so stupid and just listened to her she would have still been alive, none of it would have happened."

She stopped, looking down at her hands which were slightly trembling. "There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about what happened, and my father makes sure that I never forget about, because every time I tried to go to the surface, or when i did and he found out, he would always go back to what happened that day... constantly reminding me."

Killian could feel the pain in her voice as she spoke. She just kept staring down, the tears continued to roll down her cheeks. She was clearly haunted by this, but there was something he didn't quite understand.

"So why, why would you still want to be come human after that?" he asked gently.

She turned to him, raising her eyes to meet his. She had a puzzled look on her face.

"I mean, that must have scared you for the rest of your life, and yet here you are, as a human. Why would you still want to come to this world, why not just stay in the ocean? After that you probably just thought that humans were monsters" he said.

"What happened to my mother was horrible, but it didn't change what I wanted. Even after that I still longed to become human and explore the world, because that's what my mother did. She was human at one point and she traveled and saw the world, where do you think she got her stories from? So I guess in a way, this was just a way to try to honor her memory" she said shyly.

Killian didn't really know what to say, he just looked at her with sadness in his eyes. They sat there for a few minutes in silence.

"So" Ariel said, breaking the silence, wiping one final tear from her cheek. "How about you answer one of my questions now?"

"How about you tell me what happened to you, about what your father said?" he asked, turning his gaze to her.

"I asked you first" she said, giving him a small, sad smile.

"Technically I did, but all right, what do you want to know?" he asked.

"Well... do you have any family? " she asked.

"Well..." he paused, turning away from her. He didn't really talk about his family to anyone, not even his crew. But after what she had just told him, he felt like he had too. "My mother died when I was just a wee little lass, about 3 years old, she got really sick. My father... well... I don't really know where my father is, or if he is even still alive. I have a brother though. His name is Colin. He is five years older than me. He took of care of me after our mother died. We were alone, poor, not much choice for survival. He had to learn to grow up fast in order to take care of me. We survived on our own for a few years, stealing, doing what we had to in order to survive. One day this fairy came to us and said that there was a place where we could go, where we would never grow up, where we could just be children forever, and not have to steal. Where we could have a good life. She took us to this land called Neverland. We met a boy named Peter Pan, the boy who would never grow up. He welcomed us, let us join his "group" let's say. We became one of the lost boys, and it was fun for a while."

"But you wanted to grow up?" asked Ariel.

"Aye" he said with a smile smile. "So we found a way to leave and we did. We came back here. Became pirates. We ummm kind of ... well we tried to steal from some pirates once, not a good idea by the way, but we still just young lads, so the Captain, an elderly man, took pity on us, let us join his crew. After he died, my brother was 22 already, I was 16, and he became Captain, and made me his first mate. And that's kind of how I got to where I am today."

"Where's your brother now?" asked Ariel, worried.

He let out a long and deep sigh, turning back to face her. "I... I am not sure where he is. He just disappeared one night. I searched for him for years but I wasn't able to find him."

"I'm sorry Killian" said Ariel, putting her hand on his cheek.

Killian placed his hand over hers, feeling the coldness of her skin. He smiled at her. "What about you princess? Any siblings?"

Ariel smiled. "6 actually. I am the oldest of 7 daughters. Their names are Aquata, Andrina, Arista, Attina, Adella, and Alana."

"Wow thats quite a moutful" he said, smiling. "I see your family is quite fond of the letter A. Though I am think your name is the prettiest of all."

Ariel blushed a little, turning her gaze away from him for a moment.

He took his hand and placed it on her chin, gently moving her face so it would face his. He wanted to find out more about her but she was here in his cabin, on his bed, the candles illuminating the night, this was an opportunity he had to take. Her eyes sparkled like stars in the night sky, her face was lightly illuminated by the fire of the candles and she looked so beautiful.

"Ariel" he whispered. He leaned in closer, unsure of what to do.

Ariel's heart started to pound faster, her breath quickening. This could be it she said, was she ready? Was she ready to give herself up to him? There was no doubt in her mind that he was the one she wanted to be with, but she wasn't entirely sure if she was ready for this.

He placed his hand on her ear, toying with the earring that he had given her.

She was a bit hesitant at first but she decided to lean in and kiss him. It felt so good to kiss him, Ariel thought to herself. Not quite sure what to do, Ariel decided to just slowly crawl back, her lips still pressed against Killian's. His hands were on her hips, guiding her.

He was now on top of her and he pulled away from their kiss and asked "Are you sure you want to do this? Because if your're not ready then we don't have to."

Ariel nodded. "I'm sure. I am not ummm quite sure what to do so thats why I'm a bit nervous."

Killian chuckled. "Don't worry love, you just let me take care of everything, this is my area of expertise after all."

Ariel smiled as he kissed her neck. "First" he said in between kisses. "We start by taking off our clothes."

He started by slowly taking off her belt and then her pants, kissing her thigh softly as he made his way down her body. He then got up, taking off his shirt and the rest of his clothes. Finally, he took off her shirt and continued to kiss her.

He laid sweet kisses over her body, making his way down to her sensitive spot. "I want to taste you" he said, pulling her legs apart and entering her with his mouth, licking her, tasting her. Ariel let out a soft moan, a bit surprised at what he was doing, but it felt good.

Once he was finished he went back up to meet her face and started to kiss her once again, his hands laying on her hips. He entered her now and once he did she let out a small little gasp. Her arms wrapped around his neck, as they moved together as one, like the waves of the ocean.

Ariel had never felt this before. This must be love she thought.

After a few minutes he stopped, laying down beside her, trying to catch his breath.

Ariel just lied in bed, amazed, amazed all at all these feelings that she was having, everything that was happening.

"SO?" Killian asked, with that smirk of his on his face.

Ariel looked over to him with a big smile on her face. "That was incredible" she said. "I never knew you could feel like this."

Killian laughed, amused. "In a bit love I need a rest" he said.

Ariel instead decided to lay her head on his chest, her hand toying with the hair in his chest. She liked the way his chest moved up and down as he took each breath. She also liked listening to his heart beat, she found it fascinating.

After a few minutes, he decided to please his little mermaid and once again entered her body. Once they were done they just laid in bed, Ariel snuggling up to him, her head resting on his shoulder, placed perfectly in the crook of his neck. His arm was around her, holding her tenderly, not wanting to let her go, and making sure she was safe.

She fell asleep rather quickly, but Killian stayed up for a bit, admiring her in her sleep. She looked so tranquil and peaceful. He still couldn't believe that this magnificent creature was his. She was his to love, to cherish, to protect, and he would never let anything happen to her.

Please review this chapter Its pretty much just fluff but yeah enjoy!


	15. Chapter 15: It's not just a dream

Ariel woke up screaming, her bangs sticking to her forehead from her sweat, her heart pounding in her chest. Killian quickly woke up at the sound of her screams, a small knife in his hand, just in case.

Ariel closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath, realizing it was just a dream. She held the sheets tightly in her hands, pulling it up to her chin.

"Ariel, love what's wrong?" asked Killian, with genuine concern in his face. He put his hand on her bare back, gently moving his hand up and down her back, trying to console her. Her skin was colder than usual, almost like ice.

"I... I..." she tried to speak, but the memories of her dream where just too much. They haunted her now, not letting her speak.

"It's ok Ariel, it was just a nightmare, nothing more" he said, removing a strand of her hair from her face, and putting it behind her ear.

But Ariel knew it wasn't just a nightmare. Killian saw how terrified she looked, like she had just seen someone die in front of her, like she had just lost something she loved.

"No...it wasn't... it was-it wasn't a nightmare" she said, trying to speak but struggling with the words.

"What do you mean?" he asked curiously, staring at her intently.

"Ever since I can remember, I've had the same dream my whole life, and it was of my mother being murdered. But it wasn't how she died in real life and in my dream weren't the same. But she died. And I had this dream long before she actually died, and still after she died I still had the dream. The same dream all the time. I always thought that it was like a vision or a warning or something, but since I kept having the dream after she died, I just, I don't know..."

Killian looked at her with sadness in his eyes. His little mermaid was haunted by this dream her whole life, and now it seemed she had a new one to haunt her thoughts.

"But you had a different one tonight?" he asked.

Ariel turned to him, her eyes watering up, her lips quivering as she was going to start to cry.

"It was of you" she said, barely audible.

"Of me?" he asked. "What did you see love?"

He took her hands and kissed them, caressing them with his fingers.

"You were in a dark alley way, and you had a sword under your chin, and there was this... this man... but he looked weird. His skin was hold and scaley and his eyes... his eyes were like an crocodiles eyes, big and yellow and monstrous. He was going to kill you Killian. But something stopped him, a heard a woman's voice yell and ... and then I just woke up."

Ariel buried her head in the crook of his neck as tears started to flow more heavily down her cheeks.

Killian kissed her head and said "Ariel it's all right, its just a dream".

Ariel quickly raised her head, looking furious and shocked. "Just a dream? Did you not hear what I said? I dreamt of my mother's death long before it happened. It's not just a dream!"

"Yes but she didn't die the way you saw in your dream, you said so yourself" he said, trying to calm her down.

"But she still died, because of me" said Ariel. "I don't want to lose you too Killian. I won't."

"It's ok Ariel, I am not going anywhere" he said. He then gently kissed her forehead. "Come, let's go back to sleep."

He laid down on the bed again, and Ariel followed, placing her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her, holding her tightly.

"Red?" Killian asked softly.

"Hmm?" she asked, moving her head to be able to look at him.

Her big blue-green eyes were still filled with water. But they were so beautiful, they looked so much like the place where she had come from, the place she wanted to escape, the place where he always felt like home, the sea.

"I don't want you to worry over this, all right, because I am never going to leave you" he said. "You know why?"

"Why?" she whispered.

"Because..." he paused for a moment. He couldn't quite believe it, but he was really going to do it, he was going to tell her. He felt nervous and scared, never having been in this situation before, but he looked at her gentle face and he knew that this is what he wanted. "Because I love you."

Ariel smiled, her bright pearly white teeth illuminating the room like a star in the night sky. "You do?"

"Aye" he said, smiling at his little mermaid.

"I love you too" she said. She then got up and laid down beside him. She put her hand on his cheek and kissed his lips. She then snuggled up beside him as they went back to sleep.

OK so I know this chapter is a bit shorter but I wrote it to just get something out there and give you guys something to read. Hope you enjoy it and please comment:)

I also went back to Chapters 4,5,6,7 and changed some names. Instead of meeting Snow, Charming and Red, Ariel ended up meeting their ancestors. I changed the names because since I found out Hook is actually 300 years old or so I had to change my timeline for the story so... yeah.


	16. Chapter 16: Wherever you want to go

Ariel stirred in bed as the first rays of sunlight entered the room through the window. Ariel stretched her arms as she opened up her eyes. Besides the nightmare waking her up in the middle of the night, it was probably the best night of her life. She opened her eyes and saw Killian staring intently at her, with a big smirk on his face.

"Morning love" he said, planting a soft kiss on her lips.

"Morning... Killy" Ariel said playfully.

"Killy?" Killian asked, chuckling slightly. "What?"

"Thats my nickname for you" she said with a big smile on her face. "I know its not great but... I like it."

"Well then I like it too" he said, kissing her forehead before getting out of bed. "Well time to get dressed." Killian started to get dressed as Ariel got up from the bed, covering herself with the sheets, and walking over to the desk that was in Killian's cabin. It was filled with maps, papers everywhere, a telescope, a compass, and round thing that Ariel remembered was called a globe. She had seen one before in one of the wrecked ships that were underwater that she had explored. She started to spin it around, taking it in, seeing just how big the world really was, how much land there was that she wanted to explored.

Killian noticed Ariel playing with the globe and decided to walk over. He stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her. "What are you thinking love?"

"There is just so much out there that I want to explore" she said.

"Well tell you what, why don't you pick a spot, and that will be our next destination" he said.

"Really?" she asked, turning to face him.

"Really" he said, smiling down at her.

Ariel giggled and then turned back around. She spun the globe, closed her eyes, and after a few turns she decided to place her finger on the globe to make it stop. She opened up her eyes and saw that her finger landed on a country she had never heard of, but she was excited to go there.

"Excellent" she heard Killian say from behind her. He then reached over to get his compass and started to head towards the door. "Now Red I suggest you get dressed, our voyage shall begin!" He then left the room, leaving her alone.

Ariel walked out onto the deck of the Jolly Roger. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the sky was clear, it was perfect. Ariel saw that everyone was busy doing their work.

She noticed that some of the crew were looking at her funny, smirking, chuckling, whispering things to themselves. One of them came over to her and said "Congratulations miss, you're a woman now."

Ariel just looked at him with wide eyes, wondering how it is they knew. She then heard Killian's voice calling her over to where he was. She rose up the steps to the helm, and sat on a crate next to Killian as he steered the ship.

"Where are we headed to Cap'n?" asked one of the crew.

"Agrabah!" said Killian, a big smile on his face.

(Ok so this is going to be a flashback for Ariel, after her mother died.)

Ariel laid in her bed, motionless, just staring at the roof of her room. It had been a week since her mother passed away, and yet she still couldn't find the energy to do anything.

She had spent most of the week just lying in her bed, crying. She knew her father was furious at her, he couldn't even stand the sight of her.

When he found out all he did was scream at her, telling her that she was so naive and useless, wondering how the hell she could let this happen. Ariel was used to it though. Her father was a mystery to her. He was a great father to her sisters, and to her most of the time, but for some reason, at times, he just seemed to crack with her. Sometimes he would just say so many harmful things to her, especially when she made a mistake. Sometimes Ariel felt like he hated her for some reason, like she didn't belong with the rest of her sisters.

Ariel noticed that she didn't really look like her sisters. They all had either blonde or brown hair, and their eyes were light blue or brown, or hazel. They all had tan skin like her father, well most of them. But none of them were as pale as Ariel was, none of them had her big blue-green eyes, none of them had freckles and none of them had her bright red-auburn hair.

She heard a knock at her door, which brought her back from her thoughts. She swam over to the door and opened it up to find her friend Flounder. She gave him a small smile and swam back to her bed.

"Ariel? Are you ok?" asked Flounder. Flounder was Ariel's best friend, really one of her only friends. He was a small yellow fish, a bit chubby but so adorable. He had blue fins and blue stripes. He always accompanied Ariel on her adventures, even though he was too scared most of the time.

Ariel just stared at the ceiling as her lips started to quiver. Small tears fell from her eyes as she rolled over onto her side.

"I just got my mother killed and now my whole family hates me Flounder!" she said angrily, choking on her words as tears flowed down more heavily now. "How the hell do you think I fear?"

Flounder was taken back by how Ariel responded. She had never talked to him like this.

Ariel closed her eyes, realizing she had hurt her friend. She turned over to him and said "Flounder I am sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you... it's just... I don't know what to do... I am convinced that they all hate me!"

"They don't hate you Ariel... they are just sad. They need time to mourn. They won't act like this forever."

Ariel just looked at Flounder... she didn't really know what to say. She was afraid that her family would hate her forever. That she would be stuck here, a prisoner in her own home.

OK I know these chapters are shorter now but IDK I am having some trouble writing... we'll get some action soon though:)


	17. Chapter 17: A Street Rat

The gangplank fell onto the hard wood as the ship made its way to the port. Ariel quickly went to the railing to oversee the land. There was a lot of sand, as far as the eye could see. She could see there were a lot of houses stacked up right next to each other in the distance. They were these big, square buildings made of stone, the same color as the sand. She could also see many little tents and stands, people selling all sorts of things in the market. And way off in the distance was the palace, a huge white stone structure where the rulers of Agrabah lived.

Ariel's lips curled into a huge smile as she felt a hand being gently placed on her back. She turned around and saw it was Killian walking to stand beside her. He looked down at her and gave her a smile of her own.

"So my love, are you ready to explore Agrabah?" he asked.

Ariel nodded, and saw that Killian reached out his hand to her. She took it, and he led her towards the gangplank as they got off the ship. The rest of the crew followed, and they went into town.

Ariel had never seen people like this before. They all looked similar to each other. Thick black hairs, dark eyes, tan skin. She stood out like a sore thumb with her fiery red hair and pale skin. She had been out on sea for quite some time, with the sun constantly on her skin, but she was still as pale as she had ever been. Apparently mermaids didn't tan. Killian's skin however, and the rest of the crew for that matter, had their skin a warm tan color. It really brought out his piercing blue eyes, Ariel thought.

She looked around at all the stands as sellers tried to get her attention. They were selling all sorts of things. Fruits, fish, jewelry, clothes, and a bunch of other things she didn't even recognize. She noticed that Killian wasn't beside her; instead he had stopped at one of the jewelry stands. Probably going to steal something she thought to herself. She then heard a strange grumbling sound, and looked down at her belly. She was hungry; she realized she hadn't eaten anything since last night. She didn't have any money however, but she was a pirate now, so she figured she would do what pirates did best.

She walked over to one of the stands that sold fruit. The seller was busy with another customer. With a quick flick of her wrist, she got an apple from the table and walked away. After a few steps she turned around saw that the seller was still talking with the customer. Good, she was safe.

Killian then appeared right in front of her, startling her. The apple fumbled around in her fingers and she let it fall, but Killian got a hold of it before it hit the ground. "Ah" he said. "There you go love.

"My hero" Ariel said, giggling. She took the apple from his hand and then took a big bite from it.

Killian chuckled to himself and then said "So am I correct in assuming that you stole that apple you little thief?"

Ariel looked up at him with a playful stare. She then arched her eyebrow and took another bite from the apple. Once she was done she said "you would be correct my dear Captain. Aren't you proud of me? I was able to steal an apple and not get caught!"

"Yes because stealing an apple is such a grand accomplishment" he said sarcastically. Ariel playfully showed him, pushing his shoulder. Killian laughed and then stopped in front of her, looking down at her, putting his hands on her arms, slowly moving them down to meet her hands. "But you know, I do like myself a little thief."

Ariel smiled, gazing at him with her big blue-green eyes. Her eyes were so beautiful, Killian thought to himself.

"So you like thieves then?" asked Ariel, biting her lip.

"Aye, only when they are as beautiful and sexy as you love" he said. Ariel smiled at him. He bent down to kiss her, as their lips met.

Ariel pulled away when she heard a man shouting near them. She looked around and saw that the seller from the fruit stand was incredibly angry. He was shouting and he was holding a young man by his arm. The young man was trying to calm him down, but the seller was really steamed. He grabbed something from his belt and drew out a sword. Ariel eye's immediately widened. She could hear the man selling "you know what the penalty is for stealing!"

Ariel immediately shouted "STOP" as she ran towards them. They both looked at Ariel, a confused gaze in their eyes.

Killian quickly took Ariel by the arm and pulled her away, but Ariel pulled away from him. "Ariel what do you think you are doing?" she heard him say, but she didn't respond.

"Let him go" she said to the seller.

The seller scoffed and said "Or what?"

"Or you'll have an entire crew of pirates beat your ass up!" she said, crossing her arms over her chest, and just as she said that, the whole crew appeared behind her, as if they were magically summoned. The seller shot Ariel a disgusted look but let the man go and returned to his stand.

"Next time you won't be as lucky street rat!" he shouted as he walked away.

"Wow thank you" said the man. "How can I ever repay you?"

"Ah don't worry it was nothing" she said. "I'm Ariel."

"Aladdin" said the man, smiling at her. She then heard a small noise and saw a little monkey coming towards Aladdin, climbing up his legs and resting on his shoulders. He had a small little purple vest, like the one Aladdin had, and a cute little red hat on his head.

"Aww" said Ariel. "Who is this little cutie?"

"That's Abu" said Aladdin. "Abu where have you been?"

Abu just shrugged his shoulders. Ariel chuckled, this monkey was too adorable.

"So what brings you to Agrabah?" asked Aladdin.

"Well you know just exploring" she said. She turned around and saw Killian staring at them from a distance. She quickly gave him a smile and gestured for him to join them.

Killian walked over to them. "Aladdin this is Killian Jones. Killian this is Aladdin" said Ariel, introducing them.

Aladdin smiled as he shook Killian's hand. "Nice to meet you Mr. Jones."

Killian just smiled at him, as he stepped closer to Ariel, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Aladdin would you mind maybe showing us around?" asked Ariel.

"Sure I'd love to! It's the least I could do" he said.


	18. Chapter 18: The Palace

Aladdin took them through a tour of the whole place. Their last stop was the place Aladdin called home. He lived on the rooftop of an abandoned building, not much there really. He had a few blankets spread out on the floor, tattered curtains on the walls, some food lying around.

"It's not much" said Aladdin, walking over to the edge of the roof where he had a curtain.

"I'll say" said Killian, looking around with a bit of a disgusted look on his face. Ariel quickly shot him a look, and he raised his hands in the air as if to say he surrendered. Ariel felt bad, this guy had virtually nothing. All he had were the clothes on his back and that monkey of his.

"Like I said, it's not much, but it has a great view" he said, drawing back the curtain to show an amazing view of the entire kingdom. Ariel's eyes widened with excitement, her jaw dropping. She could see everything; all of the houses, the people on the streets, the palace which was huge and magnificent off in the distance. She could see the desert in the background, the sandy hills curving like waves from the ocean. It was beautiful.

"Someday I am going to live in that palace" said Aladdin, with a wide smile on his face.

Ariel looked at him with, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Of course you will Aladdin. You can do anything as long as you can dream it."

Aladdin looked at her and smiled back. Killian stood a few feet away from them staring curiously. He felt a bit of jealously growing inside of him as he raised his eyebrow and placed his hand on his chin, looking intently at them.

"You want to get a closer look at the palace?" asked Aladdin.

"Would I? I'd love too" said Ariel, jumping with excitement.

"I am not so sure that's such a good idea love" said Killian, walking towards them.

"Aww come on Killian it will be fun!" said Ariel, taking his hands and looking up at him with a big, wide smile.

Killian smiled back at her, how could he say no to that face. "All right let's do it."

"Excellent" said Aladdin, motioning Abu to come up to his shoulder. "Let's go!"

The palace walls were about 20 feet high, made of thick white stone. Ariel wasn't sure how they planned on getting over them.

Ariel looked up at the wall, squinting at the sun light hitting her face. "So how exactly are we supposed to get up there?" she asked.

As she said this, she noticed Aladdin was climbing a tree that was right next to the wall, one of the branches reaching out over the wall, into the palace grounds. Ariel raised her eyebrows and quickly looked over at Killian.

Killian looked over at her, with a smirk on his face. He moved his hand, gesturing her to the tree and whispered to her "after you mi 'lady."

Ariel gave him a half smile as she rolled her eyes and walked over to the tree. Aladdin was already on the branch that was over the wall, waiting patiently with Abu. Ariel looked up at the tree. She had never been this close to one before. She was fascinated by it, putting her hand on the trunk, taking in its rough, woody texture. She wasn't sure how to climb this tree, but she gave it a try. Killian was right behind her, waiting to catch her if she fell. She put her hand on the trunk and started to climb. It was a lot harder that she thought. She kept slipping, trying to place her feet in the right place, but it was no use. She was about 7 feet above the ground now, but she misplaced her footing and ended up slipping, her hands trying to reach for the trunk to stop her from falling, but it was no use. Luckily, Killian was right there, and he caught her in his arms, gracefully. Ariel smiled up at him and thanked him for saving her. Killian smiled back at her, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.

"I'll always be here to catch you love" he said, placing her down to the ground. "Now since you don't know how to climb a tree, why don't you hop on my back, and I'll carry you."

Ariel gave him a frown saying "But I want to do it myself. I don't need your help."

Killian chuckled, took his hand and put a strand of her hair behind her ear. She still had on the earring that he gave her. He looked at it for a moment, thinking about that day in the cave. How he had treated her, and how she had almost died. He couldn't let anything happen to her, his little mermaid.

"I know you do love, but seeing as you've never done it before, I think its best you let me take you." He turned, his back towards her, and motioned for her to get on. Ariel was reluctant at first, but after letting out a sigh, she hoped on his back. "Good girl. Now hold on tight."

He started to climb the tree, and within a few moments they were next to Aladdin on the branch. "About time" he said.

He then jumped, landing on the ground. Killian followed with Ariel, and before she knew it she was within the castle walls. Ariel let go of Killian, gently passing her fingers down his chest as she slid to the ground. Killian closed his eyes, taking in the feel of Ariel's touch. He wanted nothing more than to just take her away and make love to her, to just be alone, just the two of them, lying together. But there was no time for that now, he had to contain himself.

Ariel looked around. The castle's garden was amazing. There were beautiful flowers everywhere, with butterflies and birds flying around. There was also this huge fountain in the center.

"All right well come on let's take a look at the inside" said Aladdin, motioning them to follow him.

"What if we get caught?" asked Ariel, a bit worried.

"Nah don't worry" said Aladdin, a little too confident. "The guards are usually with the Sultan we should be fine."

They snuck inside the palace. It was huge, with white marble floors, thick concrete walls, lush velvet furniture everywhere, and lots of gold as well. They managed to sneak around for a quite some time, exploring the different rooms. One particular room caught Ariel's attention though. She was walking behind the other boys, so she decided to go off on her own for a moment. The door looked like a prison door, dungeon like. It was big and it had metal spikes. The handle was big and ominous. Ariel quietly pulled the door open, revealing a very dark and creepy room inside. It wasn't like the other rooms in the palace. This room looked like it would have been used for torture. Ariel was walking towards something she saw when she suddenly heard the door slam shut behind her. Her heart beat quickened, knowing that whoever it was, it wasn't someone good.

Ariel slowly turned around to see who had caught her. She saw a tall, skinny man. He had on a long black robe, with a red cape that had pointed ends at the shoulders. He also had a sort of turban on with a feather on top. She looked down to his right shoulder and saw a red parrot sitting on his shoulder. She also noticed he had a long golden staff, shaped like a cobra at the top, with glowing red eyes.

Ariel thought that he might be some sort of wizard or something because of his staff. He walked towards her, examining her with deadly eyes, like a predator observing their prey before pouncing on it. He bent down, his face just inches away from hers. She could feel his hot breath on her skin.

"Now, what do we have here?" he asked, with a smirk on his face.

"Impressive isn't it?" asked Aladdin.

"You've done this before I presume?" asked Killian.

"Perhaps" he said, chuckling.

"Ariel what-" he began, but as Killian turned around he noticed that Ariel wasn't there. He quickly got a hold of Aladdin, stopping him, asking him where she went, but of course he had no idea. He had assumed, like Killian that she was right behind them.

Killian's heart started to race, horrible thoughts reaching his mind. What if the guards found her? What if they imprison her? What if they execute her for trespassing? He couldn't believe he had let her out of his sights that he had lost her.

They walked back, retracing their steps, searching every room. He barged into one of the room's to find the Sultan there with his daughter. He immediately started to scream at them, demanding to know where Ariel was. The guards quickly came over and took him away, but he kept fighting, struggling. Finally, they had to hit him in the back of the head to knock him out. Aladdin was right behind him, trying to get him to calm down but it was no use. He saw as Killian was hit, quickly losing himself, going into unconsciousness. He took a look at the Sultan and the princess as the guards came over to him. He didn't resist though, he was too busy looking at the princess, staring into her big, beautiful brown eyes.


	19. Chapter 19: Protection

The guards unceremoniously threw Aladdin and Killian into the jail cell. Killian was still unconscious, and Aladdin just stood there thinking about the Princess. Abu was on his shoulder, trying to get his attention, but it was no use. He was off in his own little world. He never believed in love at first site until he saw her. Or maybe it wasn't love but just the fact that he was attracted to her and wanted to get to know her. He didn't really care, he just knew he had to get out of here. He had to find a way to get the princesses attention. But how? He was just a street rat. And princesses where supposed to be with princes, that's just the way it was. After a few minutes, Killian woke up, groaning at the massive headache he had. He opened his eyes and looked around, trying to process where he was. He quickly got to his feet and went to the bars of the cell, pulling at them, trying desperately to break them so he could get out.

"Unless you are like some sort of super wizard, there is no way you are breaking those bars" said Aladdin, sitting down on one of the beds in the cell.

"Well I have to try. Ariel is out there somewhere, she could be hurt" he said.

"Well it doesn't seem like they have caught her, otherwise she would be here. I'm sure she's fine, she's probably looking for us."

Killian smashed his fit against the bars in rage, furious at himself for letting Ariel out of his sights.

Ariel took a step back as the tall dark man moved towards her. He was quite frightening and she wasn't sure what he was going to do. He was now a few inches away from her. He took his hand and started to twirl a strand of her hair around his finger.

"So my little red flower, why are you here?" he asked in a soft menacing voice.

Ariel didn't know what to say. She couldn't tell him the truth that would surely get her thrown in jail. She had to think of a way to escape. She looked around and noticed that there was a small statue on the table next to her. She returned her gaze to him as she slowly picked it up. Then she smashed it on his head and ran as he groaned and fell to the floor.

She ran out of the room and into the hallway, trying to find a way to escape. She had to find Killian and Aladdin, but where could they be? She tried going back to where she left them, but they weren't there. She started to panic, what if they had been captured? She looked around, continue to run to every direction she could, but she couldn't find them. Suddenly she burst into this huge room with a throne at the end of it. The Sultan was sitting there, being comforted by his daughter, the Princess. Ariel would have ran if it wasn't for the fact that she had made so much noise when she burst through the doors. The guards started coming for her, but she just stood there, unmoving, frozen. The guards grabbed her by the arms but all she could do was look at the Sultan and the Princess as they approached her. This was it, she thought, she was done.

"What are you doing here?" asked the Sultan, trying to sound angry, but he came across as kind and tender instead.

Ariel decided it might be better to just tell them the truth; perhaps they wouldn't be so harsh on her.

"Your majesty, I'm… I'm really sorry I just…. I'm looking for my friends. The pirate and the commoner…. They came with me…. I was just looking for them" she said.

"Why are you in the palace in the first place? How did you get in?" asked the princess.

"We just… well I am not from here and we met the commoner, Aladdin is his name, and well he brought us here to show us the castle. We don't mean any harm really, if you just let them go we'll be on our way" said Ariel pleadingly.

"Sire, don't listen to this little brat. She attacked me and then came running here" said a voice from afar.

Ariel turned around and saw the man she had knocked out approaching them with his snake staff, looking furious.

"Is this true?" asked the Sultan, looking at Ariel.

"Well no I mean I knocked him out but I was just scared I didn't know if he was going to hurt me, I didn't mean any harm really" said Ariel, looking scared.

"Don't listen to her sire, she is obviously lying" said the man, sticking his staff in front of the Sultan's face.

"Obviously lying" said the Sultan, looking lost.

"Yes sire, let me take her. I could use….. an assistant" he said in a cold voice, looking dangerously at Ariel.

But Ariel didn't notice, she was too busy looking at the Sultan. She noticed that his eyes' changed. He looked like he was being controlled, hypnotized. Ariel noticed that the staff's eyes started to glow a dark red. He must be controlling him, she thought to herself. She freed herself from the guard's grasp, took the staff and smashed it onto the floor.

Immediately, as if snapping out of a trance or waking up, the Sultan closed his eyes, shaking his head, and looked at the staff and then at Ariel.

Just as Ariel was about to explain, the man smacked her hard across the face, sending her flying towards the ground. She placed her hand on her cheek feeling the pain, as he went over to her and hit her again, this time with a piece of the broken staff, yelling at her. "Foolish girl what the hell have you done?"

"JAFAR!" shouted the Sultan. "That is enough!" The princess quickly went over to Ariel, helping her up.

"But your majesty, my staff" said Jafar, trying to look all innocent.

"He was controlling you, your majesty, with his staff" said Ariel, staring down Jafar. "That's why I destroyed it."

The Sultan was furious. He called for the guards to take Jafar away. Jafar quickly raised his hand and dropped something to the floor. Then a bunch of purple smoke appeared, wrapping itself all over his body, and in an instant, he was gone, as the smoke disappeared.

"Are you ok?" asked the princess.  
"I'm fine. Thank you" said Ariel, smiling at her.

"Jasmine. My name is Jasmine" she said, returning the smile.

"Ariel".

"Ariel, thank you for showing me what a monster Jafar was" said the Sultan, shaking her hand. "How can I ever repay you?"

"Perhaps you could release my friends?" she asked, smiling weakly.

"Oh of course. Follow me" said the Sultan.

Killian and Aladdin sat in the cell, staring into nothing. Suddenly they heard a door opening, the clatter of keys. They both stood up, walking towards the bars, wondering who was coming.

Killian suddenly saw a flash of red hair, and his heart beat quickened, knowing who it was. Ariel. They had caught her.

But no, the Sultan and the princess were with her. Ariel's face light up the second she saw Killian and Aladdin. She ran towards them, anxiously waiting for the guard to open up the cell.

The keys unlocked the cell, and Ariel immediately threw herself on Killian, embracing him. She let out a small tear as she hugged him, relieved that he was all right.

Killian held her tightly, never wanting to let her go. As she pulled away, Killian noticed that her the right side of her face was bruised. She had been hurt. Anger immediately grew in his eyes. He grabbed Ariel's arms and asked her in a fierce, demanding voice "Ariel who hurt you?"

"Oh it's ok I'm fine. It was just some guy that worked for the Sultan, but he's gone" she said, trying to calm him down.

"Why did you leave in the first place?" he asked. "Don't you ever do anything like that ever again!"

"Gosh Killian calm down!" said Ariel, escaping his grasp as she took a step away from him. "I'm not a child! I can take care of myself. You don't own me!"

Killian looked into her eyes, those big blue-green eyes that reminded him so much of the sea. She was right, she wasn't a child. But he still felt, knew that he had to protect her, because no matter how strong she was, and no matter how much she wanted to act like she knew, the truth was she didn't know enough about this world to protect herself.

The Sultan cleared his throat, and decided to invite all of them upstairs for dinner. Ariel followed him, looking angry and disappointed. Killian followed her. Aladdin introduced himself to Jasmine mesmerized by her beauty. This was his chance, he thought.


	20. Chapter 20: I am not a child

The Sultan led them to the grand hall, where they were to have their dinner. The table was long, big enough to hold probably about a hundred people. They went to the right side of the table and sat down. Killian held out the chair for Ariel to sit, and she sat down, not even looking at him.

He let out a small sigh and then sat across from her at the table. Aladdin sat next to Killian, and princess Jasmine sat next to Ariel. Her father sat at the edge of the table, facing all of them. The servants brought over the food, and placed it on the table. There were all kinds of food at the table- fruits, vegetables, turkey, rice, and potatoes, everything they could have imagined. Killian looked over at Ariel and saw her engaging in a conversation with Jasmine. He had to think of a way to make this better, he didn't like having her so upset with him. He glanced over at Aladdin who was talking to the Sultan, while Abu was eating some fruit. Aladdin kept glancing over at Jasmine though, and she glanced at him. Killian couldn't help but smile at the two; they were amusing to say the least.

The dinner seemed to drag on forever for Killian since no one really talked to him. After dinner, Jasmine and Ariel continued their conversation, while the Sultan decided to retire for the night. Killian walked over to Aladdin, who was standing there staring at Jasmine.

"So lass are you going to go talk to her, or you just going to stand here like a sad little puppy?" asked Killian, arching an eyebrow while gesturing towards the girls.

"I want to talk to her but…. I'm just a street rat. And she's a princess…. She probably wants to be with a prince… I can't" he said shyly, putting his hand behind his neck.

Killian sighed. Clearly Aladdin had not noticed the looks that Jasmine was giving at him. The girl was clearly interested. "Look Aladdin, you better make your move, before someone else does. And forget about the whole 'you're not a prince' thing. She is clearly interested. Go talk to her."

"Aladdin looked up at Jasmine and then over to Killian. "Really?" he asked.

"Yes Aladdin. Boy you're not very bright are you?" he asked.

Aladdin gave him an unamused look. "So… what's going on with you and Ariel? She barely looked at you during dinner."

"One of the many complications of love I'm afraid" he said, looking over at Ariel, who was smiling at Jasmine. "She's mad at me. Don't worry, she'll come around. Now go talk to Jasmine, before I go over there myself."

Aladdin gave him a small smile and said thanks. He then walked over slowly to the two girls, nervously fiddling with his hair. Jasmine quickly turned over to him, excusing herself from Ariel, with a big smile at Aladdin. They immediately started to engage in conversation.

Ariel looked over at Killian, clearly still angry at him. She then walked out on the balcony.

Killian wasn't sure if he should let her have some time alone or if he should go out and talk to her. After a few minutes of pacing around, he decided to go over to her.

She was standing there, her arms on the railing, looking out into the city. She was signing softly to herself. Killian stood there for a moment, listening to her voice. That incredibly enchanting and seductive voice she had.

She suddenly stopped though, sensing his presence. She turned around and saw him standing there, and then she just scoffed as she rolled her eyes and turned her back to him.

Killian walked over to her, putting his arms around her from behind. She shrugged him off, stepping to the side to get away from him.

"Come on love we're going to have to talk about this at some point" he said, leaning over the railing next to her.

"Fine let's talk" she said turning over to him. "Why do you keep treating me like a child? I get you out of jail and then you overreact."

She stared up at him with sad eyes. He could see that she was tearing up a bit, but she was trying hard not to cry in front of him. She wanted to be strong. He didn't realize just how much he had hurt her.

"Ariel I'm sorry but…. you know I love you. I am only doing it because I love you" he said, gently putting his hand on her cheek, carefully moving his thumb across the bruise. "I just don't want you to get hurt, and you did. That bastard hurt you, and I wasn't there to protect you."

Ariel let out a small sigh. "I know you want to protect me Killian, and that is one of the things I love about you. You are immensely loyal and loving when you want to be, when it's the right person and that makes me feel special. But, you can't always be there to protect me."

"You're right. I can't. But I want to try."

Ariel turned back to face the view of the kingdom. She then looked up at the full moon, and thought of her friend Rose, wondered how she was doing, along with the others who were so gracious to let her in to their home. She then started to wonder about her family. Did they miss her? Did they even care that she was still gone. She held on tightly to her necklace, trying to find some comfort.

"You're not going to stop are you?" she asked.

"Ariel…." he started, but he didn't know what to say.

Ariel turned around and started walking inside.

"Ariel where are you going?" he asked, turning to face her.

Ariel stopped and then turned around to face him. "Goodnight…. Captain" was all she said, before she started to walk again.

Killian turned back around, slamming his fist into the pavement of the railing. How was he going to fix this now?

A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long, I am suffering a bit of writer's block again so here is a short chapter, not much going on I know but I will try to get it going x) My spring break is coming up so look for more frequent updates for a bit! Thanks guys and don't be afraid to leave a review, always appreciated


	21. Chapter 21: You're Magical

Killian remained in the balcony, looking at the city. He had to come up with some way to make Ariel feel better; to fix this mess he put himself into, but how? He thought that she would get over it, but she was so stubborn, it didn't seem like she was going to let this go. She started calling him "Captain" again for heaven's sake. He turned back around and saw Aladdin and Jasmine had left, and he didn't see Ariel anywhere either. He decided to walk around the palace and think.

He walked around for a few minutes until he saw an odd bulky wooden door in the corner. He looked at it curiously and decided to walk towards it. He opened up the door and entered a very dark room, made of strong stone walls, with a dungeon like atmosphere. He saw a strange red light coming from the back of the room. He heard some cackling, mixture of liquids, a small poof here and there. He walked towards the noise, trying to remain as quite as possible.

He then saw this tall man in a long black outfit with a red cape, and a black turban. He had a parrot perched on his shoulder. He was making some kind of spell. He tried to get closer to see what he was doing, but instead he accidently hit his foot against one of the chairs, making a whole lot of noise. The man quickly turned over to him, his eyes fiery and furious. He then raised his hand and Killian was flying, hitting his back against the wall. He then felt a bunch of ropes tightening around his body, making it extremely hard for him to move.

The man walked over to him, eyeing him curiously.

"Well what do we have here Iago?" he said.

Ariel sat on a chair in one of the many rooms of the palace. She was drawing a rough sketch of the beach in her notepad. She missed the beach a lot. She was actually somewhat considering going back. But to what? A family that hated her guts for what she did. Sure her father acted like he cared about her safety, but as much as it pained Ariel she knew he didn't want her there. That is why he had finally let her come to the surface, to get rid of her. He was probably hoping something horrible would happen to her. Ariel had always felt like her father didn't truly love her for some reason. Like there was some dark, twisted secret that he was keeping from her, like she was a reminder of something bad from his past.

Ariel shaked her head slightly, erasing these thoughts from her head. Suddenly, her sight changed, and she wasn't seeing her notepad on her lap anymore, but instead she saw a dark room, and it looked familiar. Of course, she thought, it was that room where she had stumbled upon Jafar earlier today. He was smiling a wicked smile, holding up his hand. Ariel got a bit scared. She had those recurring dreams of her mother and now of Killian, thinking that they were some sort of vision of the future, but this? This felt like it was happening right now, at this very moment. She then heard a scream and she knew immediately who it was. Killian! He was screaming, clearly in pain. What was Jafar doing to him?

Without even thinking she got up, letting her notepad and pencil drop to the ground as she ran out of the room in search of the Sultan, or anyone who could help her really. She stopped in the middle of the hallway, hearing some noise but quite sure where it was coming from. She was panicking, her heart racing, her head turning in all directions as her hair flashed in the wind, forming a fiery circle in the air. She finally saw Aladdin and Jasmine approaching her, hand in hand. Wow that escalated quickly, she thought to herself. No wait, Killian, I have to save him she thought.

As soon as Aladdin and Jasmine saw her their faces went from happy to worry. Jasmine quickly walked over to her, followed by Aladdin. "Ariel what's wrong?" asked Jasmine, grabbing a hold of her arms, trying to calm her down. She shivered slightly at the touch of Ariel's skin, it was cold.

"It's Killian. He's in trouble. Jafar has him!" she said, trying to calm herself down so as not to appear like a lunatic.

"Jafar!" said Jasmine. "We have to tell me father."

Jasmine walked past Ariel and Aladdin, the later following her hastily. The Sultan was in the throne room, sitting in his throne playing with these little trinkets he had on the table next to him. He was stacking them up into a tower, but as soon as the noise of the door slamming open was heard, the tower erupted and the trinkets fell to the ground. The Sultan frowned, and then looked over to see his daughter running towards him, her face full of concern.

"Jasmine darling what's wrong?" he asked.

"It's Jafar. Ariel says he's back and he's got Killian" she said.

"OH my" said the Sultan. "Where is that scoundrel?"

"He's in this room that looks like a dungeon. It must be his lair or something" said Ariel.

"Guards! Guards!" yelled the Sultan. The guards came rushing in. "Jafar is back! We must stop him before he does anything. Ariel where is this room that you're talking about?"

Ariel quickly ran out of the room, everyone else following her. It took her a few minutes to get there, as she took a wrong turn at one point, but she was able to lead them to the room where Jafar was. The guards went up in front of them, pushing Ariel aside. One of them took a couple of steps back as he fiercely kicked the door, rushing inside. The room was dark, except for a soft red glow coming from the other side of the room. Jafar quickly turned around, and Ariel saw that Killian was just as she had seen him, tied up, held against the wall. His eyes quickly met hers, and she could see fear and sadness in them. He was afraid, afraid that he might die. Jafar was a very powerful wizard, and even though he didn't have his staff, he was still dangerous. Ariel saw something else in Killian's eyes though, she saw a bit of desperation. He was pleading for forgiveness, she could see it in his eyes. His big, blue sky eyes that she loved so much, slightly tearing up. He mouthed "I am sorry" to her, and all Ariel could do is just stare right back at him, tearing up a bit herself. She forgave him, she had to. She couldn't be mad at him forever, she loved him. But hopefully now he would not be so overprotective.

"Jafar what are you doing?" asked the Sultan, in his most authorative voice.

"Your Highness" said Jafar mockingly, semi-bowing down to him. "I was just gathering a few of my things, when I caught this insolent thief stealing one of my potions!" As he said this, he pointed at Killian, and his parrot Iago flew over to Killian, hovering over his head saying "brah, Thief! Thief."

"That's not true!" screamed Ariel. "Jafar was doing something suspicious Killian was only trying to see what it was."

"And how would you know that little girl?" asked Jafar, giving her a menacing stare.

"Because I saw it!" she stared back at him, trying to match his deathly stare.

"Well it doesn't matter. My potion is complete! You will all now bow down to me!" he said eerily, and he took the potion in his hand. It was this thick reddish-gold liquid, and it was sparkling slightly. He took a handful of it and threw it right in Ariel's face. She closed her eyes shut, as she heard Killian's voice screaming "No!". She then sneezed; apparently she was allergic to sparkly magic stuff. She then opened up her eyes again and just stared back at Jafar. She wasn't sure exactly what that potion was for, but she didn't feel any different.

"HAhahah" cackled Jafar. "Now you must obey my every command!"

So that's what the potion was for, Ariel thought. She was pretty sure however, that it didn't work, at least not on her.

"No Ariel, don't do it!" shouted Killian, trying to remove the rope that was restraining him, but he was unable too.

"Ah Ariel" said Jafar. "Ariel I command you kiss me." As he said this his lips formed into an evil smile. Ariel knew that she didn't have to do what he was telling her, but she figured that the others might end up being affected by the potion. She decided to play along. She stepped closer to Jafar, until she was just inches away. She raised herself on her tip toes and just as she was about to place a kiss on his lips, she raised her right knee and kneed Jafar right in the crotch. Jafar bent down in pain, and Ariel pushed him down to the ground. She then took the potion out of his hand and stepped away from Jafar.

"Insolent girl!" he yelled. "Why the hell aren't you doing what I told you to."

"I guess your little potion didn't work after all" she said with a smirk on her face. Killian was relieved; he really thought Ariel was under Jafar's spell.

"Now, release Killian or I will drop this potion and you will have nothing" she said, dangling the potion from her fingers.

Jafar mumbled something incomprehensible, but he didn't let Killian go. He just sat there and then yelled "Iago!"

The parrot came flying towards Ariel, sharp tallons scratching at her face. Ariel put her free hand up trying to block the bird. Aladdin came from behind and quickly grabbed Iago. Despite Iago's best attempts, including biting Aladdin's hand, Aladdin and Abu would not let the parrot go.

"Come on Jafar give it up, you have nothing left" said Ariel. "And don't even try to use any magic on us because I will see it coming." What she just said, Ariel thought to herself. But it was the truth, for some reason it was as if she could look into Jafar's mind and see exactly what he was planning to do next. This was getting weird she thought, she kept getting these weird magical powers out of nowhere.

Reluctantly, Jafar raised his hand and magically released Killian from his bonds. Killian fell to the ground, touching his sore wrists. He walked over to where the others were, having half-a-mind to kick the shit out of Jafar, but he decided against it. Ariel gave him a welcoming smile, as he stood next to her, intertwining his hand into hers. Ariel looked back to Jafar and just as she was getting up she took the rest of the potion and threw it in Jafar's face. Jafar stood there, stunned, motionless. "Well your highness, he's all yours" said Ariel.

"Ah thank you child" said the Sultan, walking over to Jafar. "Guards, take him to the dungeon!"

The guards obeyed and they took off with an unmoving Jafar.

"Well my dear that was quite impressive" said the Sultan. "I didn't know you had magical properties."  
"Neither did I" said Ariel, smiling at the Sultan.

"Well thank you again. If it wasn't for you I am afraid we would all be under Jafar's control. Well I am off to bed, it's been a very long day. Goodnight."

Ariel and the rest of them watched as the Sultan scurried out of the room. Aladdin and Jasmine were holding hands, and they chatted with Ariel and Killian about the events of the day. After a few minutes Killian and Ariel decided it was time to get back to the ship. They said their goodnights and headed back.

Killian opened up the door of his cabin, moving aside to let Ariel in. She eyed him curiously and playfully, walking past him into the room. He then closed the door and turned to her, asking her "So, you have magical powers then, besides the whole dream thing?"

"Yeah, it would appear so" she said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well whatever it is, thank you for saving me" he said, giving her a small, genuine smile. He then walked over to her, till he was a few feet away from her. He put his hands gently on her shoulders and looked down into her eyes. "And Ariel… I'm sorry for the way I have been acting, how I've treated you. I just… I can't stand the thought of losing you. I… I love you Ariel."

Ariel smiled at him, placing her hand on his cheek. "I know Killian."

She then raised herself up on his tip toes and kissed him gently, softly on the lips. It was a short, quick kiss that left Killian wanting more. But he could see that Ariel was tired, and as much as he wanted to just sweep her off his feet and take her to his bed, he decided not to. It might ruin the moment. Instead they walked to the bed hand-in-hand, laying down in it. Ariel rested her head on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. They fell asleep under the pale light of the moon.


	22. Chapter 22: True Love is Forever

Killian opened up his eyes slowly as he could feel the warmness of the sun hitting his face. He immediately felt like something was missing. He looked down at his chest and realized that Ariel wasn't there. He then looked over to his right and saw that she was still asleep, now sleeping on her side, her back to Killian, her long, curly red hair all over the place. He smiled to himself, thinking how lucky he was to have her in his life. He still felt bad about how he had been acting though, and he wanted to do something to make it up to her. They would be leaving Agrabah probably in a couple of days, so he decided this would be a good opportunity to perhaps have a romantic day, just the two of them.

He pushed away the sheets and gently got out of bed trying not to wake her up. He then left the cabin and went into the kitchen. He wasn't expecting any of the men to be around and sure enough it didn't seem like any of them were. He decided he was going to make some breakfast. He got the things he needed to make it. Once it was ready he put it in a tray and started to head out when one of the crew members showed up. Killian stopped in his tracks as one of his crew, John, stood there staring at him. "Morning Captain" he said, trying not to laugh at the captain.

"John" he said, walking past him and back to his room.

Once he got in he saw Ariel tossing and turning in the bed. He placed the food on his night stand and then sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for her to wake up. Ariel's back was now to Killian, as she had moved to the other side. She opened up her eyes expecting to see Killian there, but he wasn't. Instead she just saw a hole where his body should have been. Her brows furrowed in confusion until she felt a hand on her shoulder and she rolled back to the other side of the bed and saw Killian sitting on the edge of the bed next to her. Her face lit up in a smile as she sat herself up.

"Morning love" he said, leaning in and placing a kiss on her lips. Ariel closed her eyes and groaned a bit at the touch of his lips. "Mmmm" she mumbled. He started to pull away but Ariel captured his lips once again, pulling him in by the collar of his shirt. "Morning to you too" she said in between kisses. She opened up her mouth a bit, allowing his tongue entrance. Her hands went to his hair, her fingers running over his hair, tugging and toying with it. Killian moaned in pleasure, pulling her closer. She was then sitting on his laps, her legs wrapped around his waist. His hands were on her thighs, soft and smooth. She started to unbutton the buttons on his shirt, when Killian moved away, placing his forehead on hers, catching his breathe. "Ah, sadly my little mermaid, we don't have time for this now" he said a bit reluctantly.

"No?" Ariel asked playfully, placing kisses on his neck. Killian chuckled. "Why…..ever….not?" she said in between kisses.

"Because…." began Killian, closing his eyes. He was going to give her an excuse but the gentle touch of her lips felt too good. Ariel raised her head to meet his eyes, a seductive smirk on her lips. "See you don't even have a reason" she said.

"I suppose I don't love" he whispered to her, capturing her lips once again. His right hand went up to her back, under her shirt, wanting to feel her skin. The other one was running slowly up and down her thigh. Ariel pulled away, placing her hands on his chest. "I think you should lie down Captain" she said whispering into his ear.

"Oh?" Killian asked a bit surprised, but still doing as she wished. "What are you going to do love?" he asked, eyeing her curiously. He was fascinated by her determination, her will to take the lead. He had been with many, many women, but none of them ever took charge, certainly not in the bedroom. It was a bit unusual for Killian, but he let her. Clearly, when Ariel wanted something, she went out and got it.

Ariel didn't answer; she just pursed her lips slightly as she arched an eyebrow. She took off his shirt and laid kisses on his chest, making her way down. Once she got to the hem of his pants he toyed around for a bit before removing those and his undergarments. She then did something Killian wasn't expecting at all. She went in, making Killian moan in pleasure and surprise. "Gods Ariel" he said, closing his eyes and enjoying the moment. After she was done she crawled back up and laid down next to him on the bed. She stared at him intently, waiting for his response. He moved his head to the side, facing her. "Gods Ariel where did you learn to do that?" he asked her.

"I had a pretty good teacher" she said, smiling.

"Well you're a fast learner" he said. He then pulled himself up and placed himself over her. "I do hope you'll allow me to return the favor" he said, pulling down to whisper in her ear.

"Mmm you may do as you wish my dear Captain" she said. He then kissed her neck, taking off her shirt and pants. He went down to her chest, paying attention to each of her breasts.

"Killian" she moaned, clearly indicating that she needed him now. He did as the lady wished, and he went back to kissing her lips as he entered her body. She let out a gasp and arched her back slightly. They went into a steady rhythm, rocking like the waves of the ocean. Once they reached their climax, he let go, laying down next to her, both catching their breath.

"Well that certainly is a good way to start the morning" he said, turning towards her.  
"It sure is" she said. "I love you Killian" she said, placing her hand on his cheek.

"I love you too" he said, taking her hand and placing a kiss on her palm. "Now let's get dressed, I have a special day planned for us" he said, getting up and putting on his clothes.

"Oh?" Ariel asked curiously, also getting dressed.

"Aye, but it's a surprise" he said, walking over to the nightstand and taking the tray of breakfast. "And I made this for you" he said, placing the tray on the bed. "It's not much but it's all we had."

Ariel looked at the tray and saw a bowl of fruit salad and two glasses of milk. "It's lovely, you know I love fruit" she said smiling at him. "Well come on then let's eat" she said, picking up one spoon and handing him the other.

Once they were done they headed out of the room, Killian walking to the kitchen to put away the tray and plates, and Ariel waiting out on deck. It was a beautiful day but Ariel noticed that none of the crew seemed to be onboard. They must be having a hell of a time she thought to herself. After a few minutes Killian came back and they headed out to the village. They strolled through the streets hand in hand. Killian glanced down at Ariel every now and then and he couldn't help but smile every time he saw her. She just seemed so happy. There seemed to be this incredible aura that just radiated off of her, her green eyes sparkling under the sun. She was fascinated by all the different things that she saw in the marketplace- the jewelry, the clothes, the fruit, the weapons, everything. Until she passed by a kiosk that was selling fish, that made her pause for a moment, her tearing up slightly. She bit the bottom of her lip, a nervous habit of hers, and found herself tightening her grip on Killian's hand. Killian quickly noticed this and stopped, taking her chin and turning her towards him. "Ariel are you ok?" he asked.

"Yeah I'm fine" she said, shaking her head slightly. "Come on let's move on" she said, taking his hand and dragging him away from the dead fish. Killian often found himself wondering, was she truly happy with him here? Did she want to go back to the ocean with her family? Would he be able to give her the life she wanted?

"Aladdin!" he heard Ariel say, as she released her hand from his and walked over to the boy, bringing Killian back from his thoughts. He looked over at Aladdin, who was with that monkey of his on his shoulder. He saw Ariel give him a hug, and eyed them skeptically. He knew he had nothing to worry about with Aladdin but for some reason seeing them hug each other made him a little uneasy.

"Ariel what are you guys doing here?" he asked, looking over at Killian who was walking towards them.

"Just doing a little sightseeing" he said.

"Where's Jasmine?" asked Ariel.

"Oh she's at the palace" he said. "Hey I am glad you're here because there is something I want to show you guys. Follow me."

Ariel started walking when she noticed that Killian was still standing there. "Well come on then" she said, gesturing for him to come over.

"Actually you know what love you go on ahead I will catch up in a bit" he said.

"Why?" she asked curiously.

"I uhhh I saw one of the men over there. I'm just going to have a little chat with him, make sure everyone is fine" he said smiling at her.

Ariel still eyed him curiously, but then she nodded at him and ran off after Aladdin.

Good, she doesn't suspect anything, he thought to himself. He went over to one of the kiosks that were selling jewelry. He decided he wanted to get something for Ariel, something that would represent his love for her. He knew he didn't have to get anything for her but he wanted to, just in case anything was to happen. Life as a pirate could be quite dangerous. He looked at the different items and saw a particular ring that caught his attention. It had a silver band with an infinity symbol carved into it. The rock was an emerald cut in a teardrop shape. This was perfect he thought. "How much for this one?" he asked the man.

"Le "infini" ring? Ah yes this one is quite special" said the man with his French accent. "They say that whoever holds this ring, if their love is true, it will live on forever, no matter what obstacles they might face, because love, true love, is forever. Anyway it is 50 shillings."

Killian took the money from his pocket and handed it over to the man. "Thank you" he said as the man handed him the ring and said "May your love always be true and infinite!"

Killian smiled, putting the ring in his pocket and saying goodbye to the man. As he turned he heard a familiar voice, a woman's voice say "Well isn't that nice, true love forever and ever."

He turned around and saw a tall slender woman with black hair and piercing brown eyes looking at him. She seemed very familiar but he couldn't place her name. "Have we met?" he asked, turning his head slightly and raising a brow.

"Aww Killian don't tell me you forgot about me already" she said, giving him a little pout.

Then it came back to him, he remembered who she was. Vanessa, that women his crew had rescued a little while after he had dropped off Ariel for her princess lessons. What a strange coincidence that she seemed to be here at the same time they were, if it was a coincidence. "Vanessa" he said, letting out a small sigh as he looked to the ground. "What brings you to Agrabah?"

"Oh I love Agrabah I find the people here to be quite interesting" she said, putting emphasis on the word "interesting." "What about you? Where's your little girlfriend?"

"She's with a friend" he said seriously. "Now if you excuse me."

"The ring is very nice Killian. Make sure you hold on to it, I would hate to see you lose it" she said, smiling at him deviously.

Killian gave her a stern look before he walked away.

Vanessa turned around, smiling to herself, something dark and mysterious hidden in her eyes.

"Aladdin what is it?" she asked him curiously, wondering why he had taken her to the dark alley.

"I need to show you something" he said, looking around to make sure no one was around. "Last night I…. I walked around the desert for a bit and I found this" he said, as he pulled out a golden object from his pocket. It was gold and had very intricate carvings on the outside. It had a long, round handle and a slim stout. Ariel eyed it curiously, fascinated by the strange object. "What is it?" she asked.

"I think it's a lamp" he said looking at it.

"A lamp?" she repeated.

"Yeah I think if you rub it a little bit, a genie is supposed to come out" he said.

"What's a genie?" she asked.

"It's like this magical creature that can grant you three wishes" he explained. Ariel looked down at the lamp and saw Aladdin rub the lamp. After he rubbed it three times, blue smoke appeared from the stout and within moments this man appeared. But he wasn't really a man. He had blue skin, a bit of black hair on his forehead that stuck out in a ponytail, a black goatee. He had gold cuffs around his wrists, no shirt and instead of legs he seemed to have a blue floaty tail.

He got bigger and bigger as he went higher up into the sky, stretching out his arms. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhh" he said in a rather dramatic way. "300 years can give you such a crook in the neck" he said. He then suddenly took his head in his hands and removed his head. He spun it around a few times before putting it back. He then made himself smaller, more like human size, and he looked down at Ariel and Aladdin. "Hello, master" he said, bowing down to Aladdin.

"Master?" asked Aladdin.

"Yes. Don't tell me you rubbed the lamp and you don't even know what was going to happen?" he asked.

"No I did, it's just… master… I am not used to it" said Aladdin shrugging.

"Well get used to it pal!" he said smiling at him. "So before we get to your wishes you need to know 3 things. There are certain requirements" he said.

"Requirements?" they both asked.

"Three wishes, to be exact. And ixnay on the wishing for more wishes. That's all. Three. Uno, dos, tres. No substitutions, exchanges, or refunds" he said comically.

"Ah rule #1" he screamed, making Ariel jolt a bit. He then seemed to make his eyes very big and girly, fluttering his eyelashes around "I can't make anyone fall in love with anybody else" he said in a soft voice. Ariel chuckled; it seemed the genie liked theatrics.

"Rule #2. I can't kill anyone so don't ask" he said.

"AND RULE #3" he said quickly. He then laid down on the ground, turning himself into this sickly green color, and he seemed to have slime oozing from his skin. He then raised himself from the ground slowly, as if he was the undead, as he said in a eerie voice "I can't bring anyone back from the dead. It's not a pretty picture, I don't like seeing it!"

"Other than that, you got it" he said, pointing at Aladdin and giving Ariel a little wink.

"Hmm three wishes huh" said Aladdin pondering. "I wonder what I should wish for. What would you wish for?" he asked, turning to Genie.

"Me?" he asked innocently. "No one's ever asked me that. Freedom."

"You're a prisoner" asked Ariel sadly.

"Life as a genie isn't as fun as you might think. I'm chained to this, this lamp. I'm always going poof, what do you need? Poof what do you need? Poof what do you need? Plus there is itty bitty living space. But to free. That would be greater than all the kingdoms, than all the treasures, than the entire world. But what am I talking about, what's going on with me?" he asked.

"Tell you what Genie, I'll use my first two wishes, and then I'll use my third one to set you free" he said smiling at him.

"You would do that for me?" he asked, joy taking over his face.

"Absolutely" he said, offering him his hand to make the deal. Genie eyed the hand suspiciously but then he shook it and the deal was struck.  
"All right! Woot woot woot. So what's your name?" asked Genie.

"Aladdin" he said.

"Aladdin! Should I call you Al, or just lad? How about lassie?" he said.

"Aladdin or Al is fine" he said chuckling.

Genie then turned to Ariel. "And you my little redheaded petunia, who might you be?"

Ariel giggled. "Ariel, its a pleasure to meet you." "It' s a pleasure to meet you" he said, taking her hand and kissing it.

"Oi!" said Killian, approaching them. "Who is the blue bloke?"

"Killian this is Genie. He is a … well a genie" she said walking towards him. "Genie this is Killian Jones."

"AH a pirate! I've always wanted to meet a pirate. Ahoy matey!" said Genie enthusiastically.

"Right" he said. Genie then went over to Aladdin, anxiously waiting for him to make his first wish.

"So how did it go?" she asked Killian.

"What?" he asked her, clearly distracted.

"How did it go Killian? The crew are they all right?" she asked.

"Oh yes everyone is fine lass" he said.

"Killian what's wrong you seem distracted" she asked him.

"It's uh….. Vanessa. I uh ran into her at the marketplace" he said, looking at her a bit concerned. "Vanessa?" Ariel asked. "What is she doing here?"

"I'm not sure" he said. "But she's gone. I don't think we need to worry about her" he said.

"I hope not" she said, looking down. "Well come on then, let's continue with our sightseeing."

He nodded in agreement. They said their goodbyes to Aladdin and Genie and headed off.

They spent the rest of the day walking around the village. After having dinner, Killian found a magic carpet rental place and he decided to get one for the night.

"Ariel look magic carpets!" he said, pointing at them.

Ariel's eyes widened, she had never seen one before. "Wow" she said. "Can we rent one? It would be so cool to ride one."

"I already did" he smiled at her. "Come on."

They headed to the desert and placed the carpet on the floor. He then sat down on the carpet, holding the edge of it with both hand. Ariel sat behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist, placing her chin on his shoulder. The carpet then took off, slowly at first as they got the hang of it and then a bit faster. It was exhilarating, the feeling of flying in the air, of being free. The crossed the desert, the ocean, other nearby lands that Ariel had never seen, it was just spectacular.

They then decided to stop by a lake nearby, not really sure where they were, but not really caring either. Ariel got up once they landed and headed over to the water. She took off her shoes and placed her feet in the water, closing her eyes and letting the back and forth movements of the water take her away. Killian got up, walking towards her. He noticed that she was taking her clothes off, leaving just her undergarments on. She then turned to him and said playfully "how about a little moonlight swim?"

Killian chuckled "you read my mind" he said. She dove into the water, disappearing into the night. Killian took off his shirt, his boots, his pants, leaving on his underpants. He then took the ring from his pocket and headed towards the water where Ariel was.

Ariel giggled as he ran towards her, splashing water everywhere. He then wrapped his arms around her, Ariel placing her legs around his waist and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you for today Killian" she said. "I had a great time."

"So did I love" he said. "But it doesn't have to be over yet." Ariel giggled some more, and let him place a kiss on her lips. He then pulled away, putting up his closed hand to her, holding something there. Ariel looked down at his hand. "What's this?" she asked, pulling her arms away from his neck.

"This is something I got for you today, at the marketplace. I kind of lied when I said I went to talk to one of the crew" he said. He then opened up his palm and showed the ring to Ariel, the silver and emerald stone glistening in the moonlight. Ariel's eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly, but no words came from her mouth. "I don't… I don't understand I thought when humans presented someone with a ring like this it meant that they wanted to get married?" she asked quietly.

"Well yes it can but umm in this case I am giving this to you because I want you to know how much I love you. The man who sold this to me said that this ring represents eternal love. See the infinity sign there?" he said, pointing to it. "As long as you have this, you will know that I love you and I always will. Because our love Ariel" he said, placing his hand on her chin and raising her head slightly so that their eyes met. "Our love is true. It's eternal. It's forever."

Ariel smiled at him and then placed a kiss on his lips. "Thank you" she said, pulling away. "But you know I don't need a ring to show me how much you love me. I already know that."

"I know but I wanted to give it to you anyway" he said. "Now let's see if it fits."

Ariel chuckled, placing her hand out to him. He took her ring finger and gently placed the ring on her pale, slender fingers. "Perfect fit" he said, smiling at her. Ariel raised her hand, admiring the ring on her finger. "It's beautiful Killian" she said, turning to him. "Thank you."

Their lips then met once again, engaging in a passionate embrace underneath the stars and the moon.

A/N: Ok so I hope you liked that chapter XD LOL I know it's REALLY REALLY LONG but I thought I would give you a nice mushy, fluffy, chapter before you see what is coming up next. Think of this as the calm before the storm XD LOL. I hope you liked it and please feel free to leave reviews, I always appreciate those.

Also most of the lines Genie had where taken from the Disney movie "Aladdin."


	23. Chapter 23: Davey Jones

The sun's ray beat down softly on her skin, as Ariel opened up her eyes, feeling the roughness of the sand beneath her. She sat up, looking down at Killian who was still asleep next to her. She smiled to herself as she watched him sleep. He looked so peaceful, almost like an angel. She noticed he had a slight smile on his face while he slept. She held up her hand and looked at the ring that he had given her. It was a very pretty ring, but what he had said, she couldn't get it out of her head. _Our love is true. It's eternal. It's forever. _Those words kept swirling in her head, over and over again. _It's forever. _She smiled. She never thought that she would have a love like this, so strong, so powerful, so right. After her mother had died, her father never even looked at another mermaid. His heart belonged to Ariel's mother and Ariel's mother alone. They had such a strong, pure love. Ariel had seen it growing up, and she always aspired to have a love like that. And now she did.

Killian stirred next to her, opening up his eyes and smiling as he saw Ariel sitting next to him. She looked down and gave him a small smile. "Morning sleepy head" she said, playfully moving her hand over his hair.

"Mmm morning love" he said, sitting up and placing a kiss on Ariel's lips." He then laid a kiss on her shoulder, where she had a light dusting of freckles, and he worked his way down her bare back, kissing her ever so gently. Ariel shivered slightly at his touch and said "Come on Killy we have to go" she said, smiling at him.

Killian raised his head up to her, his eyes closed and his eyebrows arching up. "Killy? Oh not again with that love. And what's the rush anyway?"

"Well today is our last day in Agrabah no?" she asked.

"Aye" he said opening his eyes.

"Well then we need to say goodbye to Aladdin and Jasmine before we go" she said, getting up and walking over to where her clothes were, getting herself dressed.

Killian got up as well and dressed himself up. "Very well, as you wish little fishy."

Ariel quickly glanced over at him and saw him smirking to himself. Ariel rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile. Once they were clothed they headed off back into the village.

"All right Genie it's time to wish you free!" said Aladdin, smiling over at Jasmine who was standing next to him.

Genie had a huge smile on his face, anxiously awaiting his freedom and everything that will come with it. Just as Aladdin was about to get ready to make his last wish, he saw that Aladdin stopped and looked over Genie's shoulder. Someone was coming. Genie looked over and saw the cute redheaded girl Aladdin was with when they met along with the pirate.

"Ariel, Killian there you are!" said Aladdin walking towards them. They each greeted each other with an embrace, even Killian though he was hesitant.

"Hi Genie" said Ariel, waving at him.

"Hello little missy" he said, bowing down. Ariel giggled.

"What are you guys up too?" asked Jasmine.

"Oh actually we are leaving so we just wanted to say goodbye" said Ariel sadly.

"Oh… well before you go watch Genie gain his freedom! Genie" he said turning to him. "I wish you were free!"

As soon as Aladdin said the words, the gold bangles on Genies wrists fell to the floor, and his magical tail was replaced by a pair of legs. The lamp lost its glow, and Genie was finally free.

He jumped up and down in joy, he kissed everyone on the forehead, including Killian who wasn't too pleased. "AHHH thank you! I AM FREEEEE!" he said joyfully.

After he said his goodbyes and did a bit more of the kissing on the head, he flew off, headed for some adventures.

After a while Ariel and Killian said their goodbyes to their new friends and went off to the Jolly Roger.

Vanessa stepped aboard the ship, hearing the creak of the wood under her feet as she walked to the captain's quarters. The men stared at her, curious to know what she was doing here, but they knew better than to question her. The ship had a haunting and dark feel to it, covered in moss and hideous sea-like creatures that were once men. She opened the door to the cabin. The room was very dark and ominous, she could hardly see anything. She heard the captain playing his organ, loud and creepy sounds coming from it.

Vanessa walked closer to him till she was standing behind him. The man stopped playing abruptly, his slimy, wet tentacles recoiling from the keys. He turned his head to meet Vanessa's gaze.

"Ursulla" he said with his thick accent, spit coming from his mouth as he spoke. "What are you doing here?"

"It's nice to see you too Jones" said Vanessa, giving him a smirk. "I need to talk to you. It's about your son."

Jones gave her an annoyed scoff. "Colin? What about him."

"Not Colin, you're other son" she said.

Jones paused for a moment. Killian, he thought. He hadn't seen him in years, since he was a little boy. As the infamous Davey Jones, he was only allowed to step on land once every ten years, and although it had been more than ten years, he had left his two sons in the care of their mother, but once he had found out she had died, there was nothing he could do. He couldn't take them with him and he certainly couldn't stay. "What about Killian?" he asked, turning away from her and heading to the table in the corner of the room, pouring himself some rum and offering Vanessa a glass.

"At first I thought he would be a problem, but now I see his value. I need him to break my daughter, to teach her a lesson. That's where you come in" she said, taking the glass.

"Daughter? You mean the one you had from your affair with King Triton?" he asked.

Vanessa nodded. "Well what exactly do you want me to do?" he asked.

"I need you to give your son the black spot. I need you to give him a debt, then in turn he'll have to leave her to come join your crew, thus breaking her heart. The leaving part, that is where I also need your help, we need to make this as painful as possible" she said, smiling.

"And why, may I ask, are you doing this? What lesson do you have to teach her?" he asked curiously.

"I have to teach her that love is weakness. I need to teach her that she can be so much more, she has great powers Davey, and I need to teach her how to use it. But she won't learn to reach her full potential if she keeps making googly eyes at that pirate. So I need you to pay your son a little visit."

"And what do I get in return?" he asked.

"Whatever you want" she said.

Jones smiled. "Deal. And when do we set off on this heartbreaking journey?"

Vanessa gave him a mischievous smile and said "Immediately."

A few hours had passed now since they had left Agrabah. Killian was behind the wheel of the Jolly Roger, sailing the ship, going wherever the wind will take them. Ariel sat at the stairs with Jack, one of the crew members. He was playing cards. Everything was just perfect. The sun was shining, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the wind was blowing at a calm, steady pace.

Suddenly though, grey clouds started to storm in, the sun was quickly hidden by them, the rays of the sun disappearing, darkening the sky. Ariel quickly noticed the change in weather, as did the rest of the crew. She go up and looked out to the ocean. The water was starting to get wild, waves crashing in, heavy and harsh against the wood of the ship. The wind picked up, blowing harder and harder with each passing second. Suddenly, Ariel heard a sound coming from the other side of the ship. She quickly turned her head, her wild red curls floating around her like fiery flames, ready to be burnt out by the harsh ocean waters. She ran over to the other side of the ship, leaning over the railing. Fog had formed over the ocean, but Ariel could see the glimpse of something….. a ship perhaps? Yes it was a ship, as it came closer. The ship had a haunting feeling to it, it felt like a ghost, quietly sailing through the seas. It had a lot of moss covering the wood on the outside, the front of the ship looked like the teeth of a fearsome beast. Ariel's heart began to quicken. She knew exactly whose ship this was. It was the Flying Dutchman, captained by the fearsome and ruthless Davey Jones. Every mermaid knew of his story. Of how he was cursed after he scorned his lover, the goddess Callypso. He was cursed to sail the seas for all eternity, fearing the souls of the dead, only to step on land once every ten years. But he had become tormented, gone insane. He became a monster, killing sailors all over, taking their souls, forcing them to join his crew. He was like a plague that overtook the seas. He was now merely a shadow of the man he once was. It is said that Callypso ripped out his heart from his chest as further punishment for what he had done, locked away in a chest that he kept close, for if anyone dared to stab the heart, they would take Davey Jones' life. But then they who stabbed the heart would have to captain the ship. The Dutchman always needed a captain, or that is what she heard. She looked up at Killian, who was also looking at the ship, but she could see that he seemed even more scared than she was. And Ariel knew that Killian never showed any fear, or at least he tried. She went up to him, trying to get his attention, but is as if he didn't even see her. He just stared past her, his eyes empty.

_It's him. How did he find me…. Why is he here?_ Killian couldn't believe what he was seeing. The Flying Dutchman, captained by Davey Jones, who unfortunately was also his father. He hadn't seen his father since he was just a little lad, but he had no intentions of seeing him now. He heard a voice calling to him, and he was taken away from his thoughts, looking down to see Ariel, her lips moving, forming a question.

"Killian" she said. "What's going on?"

"It's…." he began, but he was too shocked to say anything.

"I know its Jones, why is he here?" she asked.

"What…. You know who he is?" he asked surprised.

"Of course I do. Everyone does. Why is he here?" she asked him again.

"I'm…. I am not sure" he said. He quickly grabbed her by the arms, pushing her to walk forward, toward his cabin.

He closed the door once they were inside, then turned to her, fright and anger in his eyes. "Killian what is going on?" she asked him. "What aren't you telling me. Do you…. Do you know Davey Jones?"

He nodded slowly, not wanting to tell her the truth, but also knowing that he had too.

"How?" she asked.

"He's…" he swallowed hard. "He is my father."

Ariel's eyes widened and her mouth fell open in a gasp. "Your…. Your father?" She couldn't believe it. She knew they had the same last name, and she knew Killian's father had abandoned him and his brother a long time ago, but she never thought…..

"So what… did he come here to make you join his crew?" she asked, her voice shaking, her eyes beginning to water up.

"It's possible" he said, looking down at the floor. His mind seemed to be somewhere else.

"We have to do something" she said urgently.

"Let me just go talk to him" he said, starting to walk to the door. "Ariel" he said, turning to her. "I want you to stay here. I don't want him to know about you."

"Killian I am not just going to let you" she started, but Killian quickly interrupted her, shouting in a painful and angered voice "Please! Please, by the gods just stay here!" Ariel could hear the desperation in his voice, as if he was begging her to obey, as if this might be the final thing he ever said to her.

"Fine" she said. She walked over to him, placing her hands on his cheeks, gently moving his face to face hers. "Everything is going to be all right Killian. Don't worry" she said, smiling at him. It was a small and sad smile, but she tried her best to make it look cheerful. He gave her a small smile back, and then bent down to meet her lips. He kissed her passionately, knowing that this could be the last time he ever kissed her. Davey Jones might be his father, but he was still without mercy, and he would not even think twice about killing his own son and taking him away to join his crew. Their lips parted, his forehead meeting hers. Her hands were on his chest, she could feel the rough and fast beating of his heart. "I love you" she whispered, opening up her eyes to meet his.

"I love you too" he said. He then turned away and walked out of the room.

Once outside he saw that the crew of the Flying Dutchman had invaded his ship. His father was standing a few feet away, waiting for him.

He smiled an evil and dark smile as he spoke. "Ah son, no need to hide that little mermaid of yours. I know she's here."

Killian eyes widened in shock. "How did you know about her?" he asked.

"I have my sources" he said, chuckling. "It's been a long time Killian. You have certainly grown. And I see you're a captain yourself, following in your father's footsteps eh?"

"I will never be like you" he said through gritted teeth. "What do you want?"

Jones just stared at him. He then started to walk towards him, Killian flinching slightly once he was only a few inches away. He then grabbed his hand, his claw, yes he had a claw for a hand, turning over his hand so that the palm faced him. The tentacles from his beard slithered over Killian's hand, leaving a slimy and dark residue behind. Killian looked down and gasped. A black spot started to form on his palm. The black spot. Every pirate feared this, for it meant that they were doomed to serve Davey Jones for a certain amount of time, sometimes for centuries.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, angrily.

"Because my son, we have been apart for far too long. It's about time you came home."

"The Dutchman isn't my home!" he spat at him.

"Well that's too bad because you know better than anyone you cannot escape the black spot!" he said, mocking him. "Now come on son, 100 years of servitude awaits you!"

"Wait" he said pleadingly. "Please…. I can't… I can't just leave her."

"Ah yes your little mermaid. Well that's too bad. We could bring her along too if you want."

"NO!" he said. "Look you want my soul….. just….. just give me some time. Please…. Ten year. Ten years with her, and then you can kill me and you can have my soul for the rest of eternity."

"Sorry son but that's not how it works" he said, starting to turn away.  
"Father" he said, never having said those words in such a long time.

Jones stopped, surprised at the sound of his son calling him father. He turned back to him.

"Please… ten years, just give me ten years" he pleaded.

Jones thought about it for a few seconds. "Fine" he said. "Precisely ten years from now, I will be back for you. No more, no less."

And with a flash of lighting, he was gone, along with his crew. The sky cleared, the waves calmed down, the sun came out again, and the spot on Killian's hand disappeared. But he knew it would be back. It would be back in ten years, just like his father.

**A/N: Yes Davey Jones is Killian's dad XD That is my headcanon for Once!**

**This version of Davey Jones is based on the DJ from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies from Disney. Hope you like it!**


	24. Chapter 24: My Burden

Killian kept staring at the palm of his hand. He was grateful that he wasn't taken by his father, but he also knew the consequences of what he had just done. What was he going to do? One couldn't escape from their debt to Davey Jones, it just didn't happen. But knowing Ariel, and what a fighter she was, she wasn't going to give up. She would fight till the ends of the earth until she found a way to free of him of this debt. She would even sacrifice herself if it meant saving him. He couldn't let that happen. He wouldn't.

Ariel sat herself on the bed, she didn't move, she didn't even blink. She just stared at the ground, her fingers gripping the edge of the bed. Why would he do this? Why all of a sudden did he just come here to take Killian away, away from her. He had no right! An anger started to fester inside of Ariel, fire burning inside her heart. She had to protect Killian.

She heard the door swing open, but she didn't bother to see who it was, she already knew. She wanted to see if Killian would tell her what had happened, knowing that he didn't know she heard everything. She sat on the bed, waiting, unmoving. She felt Killian walk towards her, crouching down on one knee, gently putting his hands on her wrists, as he could see she was still gripping the edge of the bed rather hard.

"Ariel love. It's all right." He said softly, trying to get her attention, but she was still staring at the ground.

"Ariel?" he asked.

"All right" she repeated softly, hands letting go of the edge of the bed, mouth struggling to move. Her eyes suddenly shot up, staring right at Killian. They seemed to change color right before his eyes he thought. They went from their usual sea blue-green, to a dark and dangerous blue. He could see the storm clouds gathering in her eyes.

"All right?" she repeated again, trying to maintain her voice in a calm tone, but it proved to be difficult, as she shot up, forcing Killian to fall to the ground on his back.

"How dare you come in here and tell me that everything is all right when you just made a deal with your father?!" she screamed at him, standing tall over him. He saw the anger in her eyes, and her fiery red hair seemed to glow as if it was on fire. "Killian you just made a deal with your father! He's coming for you in 10 years! That's not all right! Where you even going to tell me the truth?"

Killian got up slowly, his blue eyes wide. "Of course I was Ariel. How do you even know?"

"I heard everything" she said. "Killian what are we going to do?"

He let out a small sigh as he looked down at the ground. "I'-I'm not sure Ariel. There isn't much we can do. We're lucky that he gave us ten years. My father always gets what he wants. You don't break deals with him."

"So that's it, you're just going to take it?" she asked him her eyes staring to tear up.

"Ariel the only way to stop my father is to kill him" he said, looking down at her.

"Then we'll kill him and then he won't take you away, he won't kill you or anyone else!"

"Ariel you seem to forget, my father doesn't have his heart. It's locked up in a chest, as punishment. The only way to kill him is to stab the heart, but with that comes a price. Whoever kills him has to take his place as Captain of the Flying Dutchman. The ship always needs a captain. If we killed him, I would have to take my father's place. Then we couldn't be together, but once every ten years. That's not the life I want to live."

"Then we find someone else to kill him" she said desperately. "Killian" she walked over to him, placing her hands on his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. "I'm not going to let you go. I don't care what it takes, or what we have to do, what I have to do, I will save you. I will not let your father take you away. I will find a way."

Killian gave her a small smile as he looked down at her. "I know you want to help me Ariel but this is isn't your burden to carry, it's mine. Now I will do everything I can to get out of this, but I don't want this to consume you, to take over your life."

"Killian you are my life, so while I may not be the one who is carrying that spot, this still concerns me and it is my burden to carry as well."

She stared at him with big blue-green eyes, her eyebrows slightly furrowed in confusion. Killian let go and turned around, his hand massaging the sides of his face in frustration.

"Goddamit!" he screamed at no one in particular. He let out a sigh as he lowered his hand down to his chin, thinking about what he was going to do. He wanted to find a way to stop this from happening, but he also didn't want to spend the next ten years thinking about it. He didn't want to spend all his time trying to find a way to stop it. He much rather spend every single moment with Ariel, just living their lives as if there was nothing wrong. He wanted to cherish every single moment he had left with her. But he didn't want to give up either. He knew he had to find a way to stop this from happening.

"All right how about this. We give ourselves a year, maybe two, but no more than that to try and find a way to stop my father. After that if we haven't accomplished anything, we just…. We're going to have to accept it" he said, turning back to face her.

Ariel took a few steps back, shaking her head slightly. "Killian… NO. No I can't do that. I won't. You expect me to just sit here and do nothing? And just let you go?!"

"Ariel, please, I don't want-" he began but Ariel immediately cut him off. "No Killian I am not going to do that! I need you! I am not going to let this happen! Why-"

"Do you think I want this Ariel?!" he screamed angrily. "I do not want this to happen! You think I want to leave you?! I don't Ariel, I don't! But there are something's that are just out of our control. Now I will try and find a way, believe I will, because a man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets. But I am not that man. But I also don't want to spend the next ten years…. I do not want to waste whatever precious time we might have left Ariel."

"So you think that trying to find a solution is wasting our time?" she asked bitterly.

"If the solution is impossible, then yes" he said softly. "Look I'm not saying that I am going to give up completely, but if we don't find a solution after two years, then I don't want to spend any more time trying to change something we can't control. Please just, promise me… promise me that you will do that, for me?"

Ariel bit her lower lip as she lowered her gaze. She understood where Killian was coming from, but she just didn't want to accept that one day he might be gone. After a few seconds of silence she finally said "fine, two years."

He walked towards her, placing his hands on her cheeks, cupping her face. "Thank you" he said, placing a kiss on her forehead. He then pulled her in and hugged her tightly, letting the silence speak for itself.

"I love you" said Ariel, as she buried her face in his chest.

"I love you too" said Killian, closing his eyes as he held his little mermaid close to him, knowing that one day she might not be there anymore.

"Jones!" he heard his name as Vanessa came into his cabin, furious. "What the hell was that?! I told you very specifically that I needed you to take your son away! Did I not say that they needed to be separated?! Did I not make it clear that I needed you to crush my daughter's heart?"

Jones just looked at her, not seeming to care what she said. After a few seconds of silence he finally said "I did you a favor."

Vanessa scoffed, rolling her eyes at him, crossing her arms over her chest. "How the hell is keeping them together going to help me? You gave them ten years together, I can't wait that long!"

"Hope" said Jones.

"What?" asked Vanessa in an annoyed tone.

"Hope. It is the only thing stronger than fear, and that is why it is so effective. Think about it Vanessa. You give them time, and they will go mad trying to find a way to stop this from happening, but deep down they both know they can't. This sets up the perfect scenario for your dramatic break-up. One of them is bound to snap. In fact, I can bet you that might my son might willingly choose to leave her, so that he doesn't have to deal with all of it anymore. You see Vanessa; this is your chance to do what you want. You can go in there and manipulate them all you want."

"You're right" she said, smiling deviously. Jones saw that a plan was forming in her head, he could see it in her eyes. "And I know just what to do."

**A/N: Sorry it took so long! I was going to make this chapter longer but I decided I have kept you waiting long enough so here you go!**


	25. Chapter 25: I won't let this happen

_A/N: So hey guys here is the next chapter of the fic. It's extremely long and it took me a while to write so I hope you like it! _

_I am dedicating this chapter to my good friend Stephanie (leiaamidala on tumblr). She is my biggest supporter for this fic and I just love her so much so Steph this is for you!_

They spent the next year and half sailing the seas, searching for someone willing to take on Davey Jones, but with no luck. They were running out of places to look.

Ariel leaned against the railing, looking out into the ocean. On the horizon she could see the small island they were approaching; Tortuga. She had heard about this place, where sailors from all over the lands came to drink and have fun.

They reached land in a few minutes, the anchor falling down to the bottom of the ocean to secure their place in the port. The gangplank was rolled out and the crew got out, hooting and hollering, but none of those knowing there true purpose for being here.

Ariel remained standing where she was. She let out a small breath as she looked ahead. She watched as the men left the ship, smiling and laughing, ready to just relax and have a good time. She envied them, all of them. They didn't know what was going on, they didn't know that their Captain had been marked by Davey Jones, and that in eight years he would be gone, forever. But they didn't have to worry about that. They didn't have to carry that burden that Killian was carrying, knowing that one day everything he loves will be taken from him. Ariel couldn't bear it, counting down the days till it would happen.

Killian had told her not to worry, not to let it consume her thoughts, not to let it take over, but she couldn't help it. The man she loved essentially had a death sentence, and no matter how hard she tried or what she did, with every passing failure, she came to realize more and more that perhaps there truly was nothing she could do to stop it. But she wouldn't give up, she couldn't.

-X-

Killian looked down at Ariel from the helm of the ship. She was staring out onto the island. She seemed to be lost in her thoughts. He let out a small sigh, knowing what she was thinking, because he was thinking the same thing, their time was running out. He wanted to be strong, he didn't want to let this consume him or Ariel for that matter, but there was no escaping fate.

Perhaps he should just leave her somewhere, let her go back to her family. The thought had crossed his mind several times. Of course he couldn't live without her, but he didn't want to spend the next eight years counting down the days till his father would be back for him. Perhaps it would be best for the both of them if he just let her go back to her family. He was cut off from his thoughts when he heard Ariel calling him.

"Killian? Come on, let's go" she said, waiting for him by the stairs. He nodded in agreement and walked down the stairs. He looked at Ariel's face before they left, examining it. He saw a deep sadness in her eyes, black circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep. She hadn't been getting much sleep because of the nightmares, or visions, they weren't sure exactly what they were.

All he knew is that she would wake up in the middle of night screaming, calling out Killian's name to make sure that he was still there with her. And all he knew was that he hated it. He hated the fact that she couldn't even sleep, neither of them could really. He had been having nightmares of his own, but were his are just that, nightmares, hers are much more significant. They already knew she had powers, and they knew that her dreams were not just dreams, but visions, a window into the future. They might not be exactly accurate, but they knew that it was still something that would happen.

They walked into the tavern, the crew already having made themselves comfortable, many with a beer in their hand and a wench on their lap. Killian and Ariel sat at an empty table towards the back of the tavern.

Ariel just stared at the table, not wanting to make eye contact with Killian. If she did she was afraid she would just start to cry and she didn't want to do that. She needed to be strong, for him.

Killian noticed Ariel's body tense. He ordered two beers and put his hand on hers, taking her away from her thoughts. She trembled at his touch, slowly drawing up her eyes to meet his.

"Hey" he said, smiling softly at her. "It's going to be all right." He squeezed her hand reassuringly, but he could see that Ariel was still worried.

He opened his mouth to say something before he was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Oi looks who's here. Captain Jones and his lovely mermaid friend" said the voice approaching them.

It was Jack Sparrow. He walked over to them, pulling up a chair from a nearby table and sat next to Ariel.

"Sparrow, nice of you to join us" said Killian. "What can I do for you."

"Oh no mate I think I should be the one asking you that" said Sparrow, pointing his finger at Killian. "I heard of your….predicament, and I think I can help."

Killian raised his eyebrow a bit concerned but also curious to see what Sparrow had to say. Ariel's attention shifted to Sparrow, her eyes focusing on her face, a little glimmer of hope shining in her eyes.

"What do you know?" asked Ariel, in a soft but demanding tone.

"Well love I know that your deal Captain over here has about eight years before little old daddy comes to get him, thus separating you two love birds for all eternity" he said, raising his eyebrows and taking a swig of his rum.

Ariel rolled her eyes and leaned back on her chair. Sparrow wasn't helping at all.

"I also know that the only way to stop this is to kill him. So I propose this. We go on his ship, stab the heart, I become the new Davey Jones, allowing me to sail the seas for the rest of eternity, and you two get to live happily ever after. Savy?"

Ariel and Killian shared a confused look as they contemplated Sparrow's proposal.

Sparrow squinted his eyes at the two of them, waiting to see what they would say. Since they remained silent he said "Come on guys! I am giving you a solution to your little predicament here. All of you have to do is take it."  
"And how do you know all this Sparrow?" asked Ariel, not fully convinced.

"Let's just say that Davey Jones and I have had our various encounters and well…. I am not a fan" he said with a motion of his hand.

"You know Sparrow you don't exactly have the best track record when it comes to trust" said Killian, giving him a stern look.

"I'm a pirate mate, what do you expect? You of all people should understand" he said smiling. "Look, nothing would please me more than to see Jones in the bottom of his own bloody locker. And frankly I like the idea of sailing the seas for the rest of eternity, to have my name stand for all of time. 'Captain Jack Sparrow, King of the Seas'" he said, looking up, gesturing with his hands as he got lost in his own fantasy land.

Ariel looked at him curiously, wondering what he was thinking. Killian on the other hand was getting impatient. He snapped his fingers in front of Jack's face to get his attention.

"Huh? Oh yes. Tell you what, I'll give you some time to think about my very generous offer. Cheers mate" he said as he got up, rum in hand and walked off.

Killian sighed, leaning back against his chair, folding his arms across his chest. Ariel immediately looked over at him, waiting for him to say something.

"Well? What do you think we should do?" she asked softly.

"I'm not sure Ariel. On the one hand, this is the closest we have gotten to find a solution, but on the other I don't trust Sparrow, and neither should you. Besides how are we even going to get on his ship? You cannot board the Flying Dutchman unless you are dead, or you're dying."

"Then we'll find someone who is dying" said Ariel frantically.

"Love, it's not that simple. They need to be sailors, in the ocean, since my father cannot step on land but once every ten years" he said.

"Then we'll get my father to help, he must know something. He can help us" she said excitedly.

"Ariel" he began, but Ariel cut him off. "Killian my father can help. He is Triton, he is the King of the Seas, he must know something that can help us. I'll go there tonight, ask him and he'll help us."

"You mean swim all the way back to your home? But Ariel that's miles away, it will take you days" he said a bit worried.

"Well from here it should take me about a day and a half. I'm a fast swimmer. I'll go there tonight, you stay here with your crew, and I'll be back before you know it."

"I'm not sure Ariel. What if something happens to you?"

"Killian please, you have to trust me" she said, taking his hand, and holding it.

He looked into Ariel's eyes, which had been filled with sadness for so long. But now it is as if they had been reborn. They were shining a bright blue-green, hope renewed into her heart and soul. This might be the only chance they would get, Killian thought. They had to take it. "All right, tonight then" he said, smiling at her.

Ariel smiled for the first time in what seemed like forever. Her smile was vibrant and alive, lighting up the room. "Don't worry Killy, we'll get out of this" she said, laughing at her ridiculous nickname for him.

Killian couldn't help but laugh as well. He wasn't very fond of that nickname, but if it made her happy, he didn't care. He placed his hand on her cheek, gently stroking his thumb over her soft skin. He then leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

Just as they pulled away Killian felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see who it was. It was a tall man, with sandy blonde hair and deep brown eyes. He had a beer in one hand and asked "How much for the wench?"

"Excuse me?" asked Killian, in a bit of a menacing tone.

"The cute red-head you were just kissing. How much for a night of her services?" asked the man, hiccupping after he said his finals words.

"She is not a wench" Killian said slowly, rising from his chair.

"Ah so then you won't mind if I just-" he said as he took Ariel by the arm and started to drag her.

Killian went to stand in front of Ariel, blocking the man. "I suggest you go somewhere else to satisfy your needs mate."

"Aww come on just a few minutes, surely you can live without her for that period of time?" he said, starting to get impatient.

"Come on Ariel we're leaving" he said, taking Ariel by the hand, moving to walk past the man, but he quickly stepped in front of them, blocking their path. "Get out of our way" said Killian angrily.

"Not until you let me have the girl" said the other man, equally matching Killian's angry tone. Killian moved to the other side to try and walk past the man, half-expecting him to block their way again. But instead the man punched Killian right in the jaw, sending him back, Ariel grabbing his back to stop him from falling.

Blood fell from Killian's lower lip. He took his arm and wiped it off, anger and fury burning in his eyes.

"Come on then" said the man, putting his fists up.

"Killian no" said Ariel, but it was too late. Killian stepped forward and punched the man right in the nose, causing him to take a few steps back.

The man, furious, ran towards Killian. He lifted him up and slammed him against the wall. Soon the whole tavern erupted into a violent frenzy. The man started to punch Killian in the gut. Killian kneened him in the groin and punched him in the ribs. The other man pulled his arm back, ready to punch Killian in the face once again, but Ariel stepped in before he could hit him, her mouth open, wanting to scream STOP, but instead the fist hit her under her right eye, sending her flying back, her back hitting Killian.

Killian watched as Ariel fell against him. He gently pushed her aside and ran towards the other man, hitting him in the gut once more. Ariel got up and tried to grab Killian to pull her away, but he accidently hit her with his elbow, pushing her away once again. The two men kept hitting each other, blood staining their clothes, bruises covering their skins.

But then the man took out a knife and stabbed Killian in his lower abdomen. Ariel screamed as Killian fell to his knees. The man took the knife out and watched as Killian sunk to the ground. As Ariel ran towards Killian, the man grabbed her by the arm and started to drag her away.

"Let me go" she screamed, trying to pry his hand off her arm, but with little success. She bit his arm, and as the man screamed she raised her fist to punch him in the face, but the man saw it coming. He grabbed her fist, which was tiny compared to his large hand, and crushed her hand inside of his. Ariel could hear the sound of bones crushing. "Just for that I am going to be extra rough on you" he said, slapping her across the face.

He was about to grab her when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his chest. Ariel watched as Killian's sword tore through his flesh from the back, the end of the sword protruding from his skin, bloody. The man's mouth opened as if to say something, but instead blood gushed from it, falling down like a horrific fountain. The man fell to his knees and then collapsed into the ground.

Ariel watched, horrified, and then went to Killian. His knees started to buckle and Ariel got a hold of him before he fell again. The rest of the crew, having been fighting with others, rushed to make sure their Captain was all right.

Two of the men grabbed Killian and helped him walk back to the ship, Ariel following closely behind.

Her hand was in pain, but all she could think about was Killian, and the fact that he was losing a lot of blood.

-X-

Once on the ship, Killian was taken to his quarters, and Smith, the closest thing the crew had to a doctor, went to patch him up. Ariel followed him, but he quickly told her to wait outside.

Ariel hesitated but decided to follow his orders. She leaned against the wooden wall and sat down on the floor, holding her hand. She was sure that something had broken, since the pain was so intense.

"Are you ok Ariel?" asked Holden walking over to her and sitting next to her.

"I think my hand is broken" she said.

"Let me see" he said, gently taking her right hand, but Ariel winced at his touch. "Sorry." He examined it and finally said "yep it looks like you have a fracture. I'll be right back."

In a few minutes he was back with a strange piece of what looked like cloth to Ariel. "Here" he said. "I'll wrap this around your hand to help it heel." He took it and wrapped her hand as gently as he could. "There you go" he said when he was done. "Now try not to aggravate it or anything, its going to take time to heal."

"Thank you" she said, smiling at Holden. She then heard the door open and Smith came out.

"How is he?" Ariel asked, rising to her feet.

"He lost a lot of blood, but we patched up the wound, he'll be fine" he said, smiling at her. "You can go see him now.

Ariel thanked Smith and ran into Killian's room.

He was lying on his bed, his shirt folded up, revealing a bloodied patch covering his wound. Ariel walked over, sitting herself on the edge of the bed next to him. She placed her hand on his hair, stroking it back softly. "Hey" she said.

"Hey" he said, smiling at her.

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better now that you are here" he told her, taking her hand and kissing her palm lightly. Ariel felt a shock of energy go through her body, as her cheeks reddened. It was amazing how he still could make her blush.

Killian noticed the wrap on Ariel's other hand and quickly asked her what happened.

"It's nothing, Holden said it was just a fracture" she said softly.

Killian sighed. This shouldn't have happened. To think that bitch wanted to hurt you" he closed his eyes, biting down on his lip. He couldn't stand the thought of someone hurting Ariel.

"You killed someone Killian" she said, staring at him. He could feel her breathe speed up slightly, her eyes wandering around the room.

"Ariel I had to" he said, raising himself to a sitting position, wincing in pain. Ariel quickly put her hand on his chest and told him to lay back down. He sighed again. "If I hadn't he was going to hurt you. Do you know what he was going to do to you?"

Ariel nodded slightly. "Still Killian you –you killed someone. I mean- I've never seen that side of you. I mean, you got pissed off once at that guy at the tavern when I got drunk but-still."

"Come here" he said, taking her hand and leading her to lay down on the bed next to him. She laid on the opposite side of his wound, placing her head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her.

She played with the collar of his shirt as he spoke. "I was only trying to protect you Ariel. Sometimes in order to defend yourself, or the people you love, you need to make some tough choices."

"I-I guess I understand" she said.

"I'm sorry you had to see that" he said.

He could see that her hands were slightly shaking. He took her hands into his, and with his other hand he gently pulled her face up to face him. "Hey, Ariel I would never hurt you, you know that right?"

"Of course Killian, its just… I guess I didn't realize what humans can be capable of, that's all" she said softly.

"But thank you for, for saving me" she said, shifting her head to face him. "If you hadn't been there then, I don't know what I would have done."

"You'll never have to find out love" he said, kissing her forehead.

Her fingers went down to his wound, tracing the bandage with her fingers. "Does it hurt?" she asked.

"Not so much now" he said.  
"You'll have a scar there now" she said sadly.

"It's all right. Scars are part of who we are, part of what makes of us how we are. Since I was saving you, think of it as a mark that you left on me" he said, smiling down at her.

Ariel chuckled. "Wait, I just remembered" she said. She got up and sat down on the bed. She raised her shirt slightly, and lowered her pants with her finger just enough to expose some skin on her lower abdomen. "I have a scar where you have one as well" she said, showing him.

Killian's fingers traced the long scar on her skin, memorizing every detail. "What happened?" he asked.

"It was an accident. I was swimming with my sisters when we were younger, and uhmm I wasn't watching where I was going so I hit a reef of rocks."

There was suddenly a knock of the door, and Ariel lowered her shirt down as Killian said "Come in."

To both of their surprises it was Sparrow who came in. "AH glad to see you're all right mate."  
"Sparrow" said Killian. "I didn't think you would show up."

"Well, I wanted to know what your decision was" he said.

Killian and Ariel looked at each other for a moment. Ariel raised her eyebrows as if to ask what he was going to say.

Killian nodded at her and turned his attention back to Sparrow. "You got yourself a deal Jack. But if you betray us, I swear it will be the last time you ever betray someone."

"Duly noted mate" he said. "Well I'll let you two rest. See you in the morning."

"Actually" he said, raising himself up again to sit. Ariel helped him, seeing that he was still in pain. "Ariel is going to go to her home, try to see if her father can help us. "

"Are you sure? I don't want to leave you like this" she said.

"Its ok Ariel, the sooner you go, the sooner we can go through with this" he said.

"All right" she said, getting up from the bed. She leaned down and kissed Killian. Killian seemed to return the kiss rather eagerly, as if he knew something that Ariel didn't. When she pulled away, he smiled at her, caressing her cheek. "I love you" he said.

"I love you too" and she kissed him once more before leaving the room.

-X-

Ariel stood looking down at the ocean. He was just about to take her necklace off when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Holden, she saw as she turned around.

"I heard what is going on, Jack told us" he said sympathetically.

Ariel scoffed "well it seems that man doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut" she said.

"Hey it's going to be all right. We're all here, for the both of you, and we will all figure this out, together" he said, smiling at her.

Ariel returned the smile and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a hug. "Thank you Holden."

"You're welcome. No go to your father, we'll be here waiting for you when you get back."

Ariel gave him a nod, and with that she took of her necklace and handed it to Holden. "Keep it safe will you?"

"Of course".

She nodded at him once more, and then she jumped over the railing, disappearing into the ocean.

-X-

Killian woke up startled, realizing that he had fallen asleep. He must have been asleep for a few hours, since the sun was already out.

"Mormin' mate" said Sparrow, sitting at Killian's desk, still drinking some rum.

"Jack" he said, looking around to see where Ariel was, but then he remembered that she had left .

He got up from the bed, wincing in pain still, and walked out to the deck. Jack quickly followed him, wondering what he was up to.

"Get ready to set sail mates!" he barked at his crew, walking over towards the helm.

The crew just looked at each other, confused. Ariel wasn't back yet, what was he doing?

Killian noticed that no one was doing anything. "I said get ready to set sail!" he screamed at them.

"But Captain, what about Ariel?" it was Holden who decided to muster up the courage to ask the captain.

Killian looked down at Holden and he noticed that he was holding Ariel's necklace. He gestured for Holden to come up towards him.

Holden obeyed, walking up the steps toward Killian.

"Why do you have that?" he asked.

"Ariel gave it to me until she came back" he said.

Holden handed it over to Killian, knowing that he probably wanted to hold it. Killian examined it as he took it. He touched the pendant at the end of the necklace. Was he really going to do this he thought to himself.

"Captain?" asked Holden.

"We need to leave. Now!" he raised his voice, looking out over the crew.

"But what about Ariel?" asked Holden, still confused.

"She's not coming back" he said, sadly. Of course he was lying, Ariel was coming back, and he knew that she was expecting them to be here, waiting for her.

"But she-" Holden began, but he was quickly cut off by Killian. "She is not coming back!" he said angrily. "Why do you think she left the bloody necklace? Because she isn't coming back. She wants to go home, she is tired of all of this shit. She is going back home, where she belongs. So we need to go, now!"

Holden opened up his mouth to protest, but he decided not to. He instead walked away.

Killian called over one of his other men to take the wheel. "Where are we headed Captain?" he asked.

"Anywhere but here" he said, walking down the steps and going back to his room.

-X-

Killian sat at the edge of his bed, the necklace still in his hand. He didn't want to leave Ariel, he loved her, of course he did. But after everything that has happened, he just felt like it was the best thing to do. Sure Jack had offered to kill Davey Jones, but the reality was he didn't have much confidence in him. He knew that in order to kill his father, a lot of blood would be shed, and he didn't want his crew risking their lives for him. This was his problem not theirs. It was his burden, not Ariel's. But she had spent the last year and half tormenting herself, trying to find a way out of this situation, trying to save him. But he could see the toll it was taking on her. She could barely sleep, she wasn't eating as much, it was draining her physically and mentally. He didn't want to put her through that anymore. Sure they seem to have found a solution at this point, but it was too big of a risk to take. If Ariel died because of what they were trying to do, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. He didn't want to go through that. He didn't want to put her life at risk.

So he figured that he would leave her. He knew that it would break her heart, and that she would probably hate him, but he also figured he would never see her again.

He suddenly heard the door to his cabin open up, and Jack walked in, giving him a stern look.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" he asked.

Killian didn't answer, he just stared at Ariel's necklace.

"Killian, why are you leaving her? You love her don't you so why-"

"Because I love her! That's why!" he said furiously. "I can't let her go through this. She is killing herself worrying about me. I don't want her to risk her life just to save me, she deserves more than that! Don't you see, this was the only way. I know you said you would kill my father, but its too much of a risk to take. I don't want her to die. "

"So that's it then, you're just gonna spend the next eight years living like nothing is wrong? " he asked.

"I don't know" he said, shaking his head.

Jack just nodded and decided to leave. He wasn't done with this conversation, but he figured he should let Killian be for a little while.

-X-

It had been two days since Ariel had left. She was now swimming back to Jolly Rodger, since unfortunately her father had not been able to help her.

He was happy to see her again, and so were her sisters, but once he heard what had happened, he became very concerned. He wanted Ariel to come back home, where she belonged. He said that life on land was too dangerous. He begged her to stay, but Ariel couldn't, she couldn't just leave Killian.

He told her that he had no way of contacting Davey Jones. Jones was the undead, and the only way to see him was if you were dead yourself.

Disappointed Ariel left, but she had to get back.

After hours of swimming she finally got back to where the ship was. She reached the surface and called out for someone to help her.

A rope fell to next to her and she grabbed it firmly, tugging at it so that the other person would know she was ready.

She was pulled up, but as soon as she saw the person that pulled her up, her heart started to beat faster. This wasn't someone she recognized. Before she could scream a hand covered her mouth, the other one wrapping around her waist. She struggled to try and free herself but she felt something hard hit the back of her head, and she saw men coming towards her before it all went black.


	26. Chapter 26- The Bloody Escape

The room was filled with strangers; all wearing their finest clothing- longs gowns of silk and lace of all colors, the men wearing their black suits and ties- all of them spinning around the room, dancing to the soft but strange music in the background. Ariel herself was dancing, being held tightly by a tall handsome man. His face was pale, his eyes a rich and deep brown, his hair nightingale black, down to his shoulders. His fingers roamed up and down her bare back, exposed by her tight black dress. He lowered her slowly, taking his hand and moving it up her chest until he reached her neck. His hand slowly made its way up her body, making Ariel shiver. His touch was cold, icy, as if he had been trapped in frozen tundra for hundreds of years and had now awoken. Ariel dipped her head back, searching the room.

"You are so beautiful Ariel" said the man in his heavy accent. "All it would take is one little bite…. And we could be together forever. And no longer will you have to worry about that little broken heart of yours" he whispered to her, as his fingers roamed her neck, the top of her chest. "Join me."

But Ariel wasn't paying attention; her focus was on someone else, Killian. She saw him there, but he wasn't looking at her; he was looking at another woman, a woman with long brown hair, and piercing blue eyes. She made his way towards him, his face lighting up as she approached him. His hand quickly rested on the small of her back as he leaned in to kiss her. Ariel could feel her heart pounding faster and her partner noticed it as well. His lips curved into a smile. Ariel was still watching Killian and the woman, but her partner was leaning down, getting closer to her neck. His lips curved into a smile as his fangs protruded down from his mouth. He opened his mouth and bit her neck, blood gushing down.

Ariel screamed as her eyes opened her heart racing. She started to move and quickly found that her hands were tied over her head. She struggled trying to get free, but pain quickly shot up her hand, and she remembered that she had fractured it. She was in a tub of water, in a strange dark room, but she knew that she was on a ship, for she could feel it rocking back and forth as the waves of the ocean moved it along. Her entire body ached, especially her head.

She looked around to see if she could find anything to use to untie her, but with the room being so dark, it was hard to find anything. Instead she decided to sit back and think about the dream, or vision- she really wasn't sure what they were anymore- that she had. She was dancing in a room of strangers, Killian there with another woman. That pained her more than the fact that some strange man bit her neck. She felt an urge to check her neck, but she was unable too.

Her thoughts started to wander in all directions. Where was she, who had hit her in the head? Why was she here? Where was Killian? Did he leave her? Or did she arrive at the wrong spot? Did someone attack them? The sound of footsteps approaching her shook her from her thoughts. A big, muscular man with short brown hair and a long scar down his right eye approached her. He smiled with a devilish grin and kneeled down next to her tub.

"Finally awake are we little mermaid?" he said, playfully moving his fingers down her cheek. Ariel turned her head, trying to escape his touch. The man only chuckled.

"What do you want?" Ariel spat at him angrily.

"Well you of course" he said, letting his eyes wander down her body.

"Why?" Ariel asked, beginning to get a little anxious.

"Do you know how much people pay for a pretty mermaid tail likes yours?" he asked.

Ariel only looked at him, her heart pounding even faster.

"A lot" he said, smiling at her.

"Is that why you kidnapped me, to kill me so you can sell my tail?" she asked.

"Kidnapped? Why would you think that?" he asked, his evil grin forming on his lips once again.

"Because when I came onboard, one of your men hit me in the head, knocking me out cold. I don't know about you, but that isn't exactly very hospitable in my book" she said.

"Ah yes, you were expecting Jones right? And his crew, on the Jolly Roger" he chuckled. "Well my dear, as you can see, this isn't the Roger."  
"Which is precisely why I say you kidnapped me" she said, growing furious.

"We didn't kidnap you dear, we were just following orders."

"Whose orders?"

"Why your beloved Captain Jones' of course!" he said, getting up as he looked down at her.

"What? That's impossible. You're lying! You probably attacked their ship. He might be floating somewhere in the ocean for all I know!" she said angrily, tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm not lying love. He sold you off. Got tired of you, and when you went off to find your dad, he decided it was the perfect chance to call us in. He contacted me, told me what to do, where you would be. He's long gone by now. "

"That doesn't make any sense" said Ariel, shaking her head. "He said he would wait. He wouldn't do that because….beca-"

"Because he loves you?" he said, looking at her. He began to laugh as he said "Oh he never loved you!"  
"But"

"But nothing. You meant nothing to him. Never did, never will."

"No, no you are lying! I don't know why, but you are! He wouldn't do that! This probably has to do with his dad! He probably did this to get me out of the way, so he can have his son for himself!"

"Look darling, he left you and had us pick you up all right? End of story" he said.

Ariel couldn't believe it, she wouldn't. They were lying. This had to be the doing of Davey Jones, or perhaps even Vanessa. She never felt safe around that woman, something about her always irked Ariel. She knew she had to get out of here, and fast.

"All right, let's go" he said, starting to untie her hands.

"Wait what?" asked Ariel confused. After he untied her, he picked her up and brought her up the steps, onto the deck. He then threw her onto the ground, Ariel landing on her left shoulder, screaming as she hit the cold, hard ground.

"All right boys" said the man, as he took out his knife. "Let's get to it."

Ariel grimaced as she held on to her injured shoulder, looking around to try and find a way out. The crew began to approach her, some with knifes, others with swords, one of them holding a whip. One of the men put his foot on her stomach and pushed her so that she would lay on her back, rather than on her side. She whimpered at the pain in her shoulder. She noticed that the men's expressions changed. They went from dangerous and murderous to lustful. She looked down at her chest and gasped as she noticed that her hair had fallen from her chest, exposing her bare upper body.

"He its too bad you don't have legs" said one of the men, kneeling down next to her, taking the tip of his knife and running it down the middle of her tail, just lightly enough to leave a thin trail of blood behind. "We could have had so much fun."

"Eh but bare breasts will do" said another man as he bent down and began to bite down on Ariel's nipple as she screamed, taking her hands and trying to push him off, but another man came and grabbed her arms, further damaging her fractured hand. They came closer, groping her, molesting her, as she screamed and tried with all her might to get away. Once they had their fun, they brought out their weapons again. The man with the whip raised his whip high in the air and then lashed it down onto Ariel, slicing her tail, not deep enough to cut if off, but deep enough to leave a pool of blood gushing down, forcing Ariel to scream even louder.

As she screamed, some of the men covered their ears, the piercing sound too much for them to bear. Ariel noticed this and began to try and crawl away, turning over so that she was flat on her stomach, using her good hand to try and push herself up. But the man with the whip raised it once more and this time sliced her back, several times. The other man came over and turned her over, punching her face.  
"Stay still you bloody bitch" he said as he continued to pound her face, bruising the right side of her face. Ariel coughed out blood, feeling weaker and weaker with every punch. If she didn't get out of here now, she would never get out. She remembered how her scream had caused the pirates pain and decided to try and scream once again. It did nothing though; it only aggravated the men even more, as one of them dragged her back, pulling her hair.

The scream that had escaped her lips before was different than normal screams. It was the screams of a siren. Her father had told her about sirens, how they were like mermaids, but much more deadly. They could entrance men with just the sound of their voice and then use that to lure them to their slow and painful deaths. Perhaps Ariel had that in her, she thought to herself, remembering the scream. She tried to calm herself down, taking deep breathes. She then opened her mouth and began to sing. Not words, just a soft melody that she remembered from her childhood. Pretty soon all the men had stopped what they were doing and were just looking at her, entranced by her voice. They stood there, smiling, their eyes looking dreamy and lost in wonder. She continued to sing as she made her way painfully to edge of the deck. She then ordered one of the men to pick her up, as she sang her orders to him. The pirate obeyed and did as the mermaid said, picking her up. She then told him to drop her into the water. As she splashed into the water she could feel herself coming alive once again, the sweet saltiness of the water taking over her body, rejuvenating her. She was still in a lot of pain though, and it would take a lot of effort to swim back home. But she had to get back, or else she feared this would be her finals moments. She began to swim, trying to muster up the strength to move, but blackness began to descend. She could feel herself falling into the abyss of the ocean, as her eyes closed, and the last rays of sun shining on the water disappeared.


End file.
